<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lily of the Valley by Flowangelic</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26196517">Lily of the Valley</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flowangelic/pseuds/Flowangelic'>Flowangelic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Death, F/M, Flashbacks, Post-The Mummy, Romance, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:49:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>69,928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26196517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flowangelic/pseuds/Flowangelic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Elisabeth 'Lillian' Borchardt has her ways when it comes to finding artefacts for the highest bidder. But these Medjai are not as easily fooled. Especially when they ask for her help in locating a certain American.<br/>Ardeth/OC</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ardeth Bay/Original Female Character(s), Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>Cairo, Egypt - 1913</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>It was a grand looking object, even in the eyes of a thirteen year old. It had been a few months but at last she was allowed to gaze up close at the magnificent bust. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>For a while the statue had been locked tight behind the two grand oaken doors, which contained more than the one odd trinket found by her father during multiple expeditions. But none of those artefacts compared to this one.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even now, when she was finally allowed to stand in its glory, the watchful eye of Ludwig Borchardt was ever so close. Still, that didn't stop her from reaching out to try and touch it with her long fingers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Vorsichtig, mein liebling!" Her father said in a firm tone grabbing hold of her thin wrist in the process.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Aber, papa,-" But her father shushed her once more. He pulled her back and got down to her level.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nein, Liesl." Ludwig pinched his daughter's nose. "This is my greatest discovery yet." He turned his head to look at the limestone bust standing on the dark wooden desk on their left. "If you happen to break it, it would be disastrous."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The young girl rolled her eyes. "Am I not always careful, papa?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps she was, but it was a risk Ludwig was not willing to take. His twelve year old daughter Elisabeth was very nimble indeed when it came to handling delicate objects. A skill which would come in handy once the day would come when he would no longer be able to obtain artefacts himself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But that day would not occur for at least another decade.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why is she missing an eye?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her father sighed. He squeezed the girl's upper arms gently. "I'll tell you if you promise to behave yourself while I'm gone? To not put your mother into any trouble or the servants, for that matter."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The little girl's nose twitched slightly but she promised him nonetheless. He patted her on the shoulder. "Good, girl."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You see how her right eye is sculpted in a more rounded manner, which makes the black painted quartz stand out to resemble an actual eye?" Ludwig began as he raised his arm to point at the head's eyes. Elisabeth nodded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I believe that the person who this bust was sculpted after, never had a left eye to begin with. The surface looks way too neat. If there had been a jewel in that eye it would have looked more chipped or mangled, but instead the surface is sculpted smooth and flat."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elisabeth made a face of disgust and looked at the sculpture of the beautiful woman. "And what about her nose?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What about her nose?" Ludwig frowned at his daughter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Isn't it a bit too straight?" She continued. Her father couldn't help but chuckle softly. Elisabeth wasn't a vain girl, thank goodness. But there was one thing she was incredibly critical of when it came to her own physical features. Her nose.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She has the most beautiful nose I have ever laid my eyes upon. Aside from your mother's nose, of course."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His words did not fool Elisabeth at all, but they did manage to conjure up a smile on her face. "How long will you be gone, papa?" She asked him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ludwig placed his hand against his daughter's cheek and rubbed his thumb across her skin. "A few months, mein schatz."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Will you bring me back a present?" She looked at him with bright wide eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Natürlich." He leaned in and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Don't I always?"</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1924</strong>
</p><p>Her eyes scanned the early morning papers. The front page was almost filled to its entirety with a black and white picture of a sculpted head representing a beautiful young looking woman. The text beneath the picture said;</p><p><em>Found by Ludwig Borchardt of the Deutsches Archäologische Institut in Cairo, Egypt</em>.</p><p>Elisabeth took a deep breath and let it out accompanied by a long sigh as she looked at the man standing right next to the bust. The man was her father, with his white moustache and a broad grin on his face.</p><p>This article was going to pose a problem. It was a lucky thing that her mother was currently back in Berlin, which meant the person who'd have to deal with this nonsense back in Egypt, was her. She tossed the paper aside and got out of the chair.</p><p>She was certain it wouldn't be long now before the museum's curator were to appear on her doorstep. Demanding to talk to Ludwig Borchardt most likely. The man was positively insufferable, as was the curator.</p><p>Leaving the house as soon as possible to roam around the local market, felt like the best thing to do. Until the man would give up searching for her father.</p><p>The young woman walked towards the mirror in the hallway and twirled her hair up into a French twist. She gave herself a look over and nodded at her reflection. That would have to do for today.</p><p>As she reached for the doorknob, ready to turn it, the sound of a clinging bell echoed through the hallway. <em>Speak of the devil</em>. Elisabeth stepped back and pressed her hand against her chest.</p><p>"Blasted." She breathed.</p><p>"Miss Borchardt!" The voice of Dr. Terrence Bey sounded from the other side of the door. "I would like to have a word with you."</p><p>"I don't." She muttered under her breath as she backed away from the door to run into the opposite direction.</p><p>She could still hear the muffled yet loud booming voice of Dr. Bey behind he'd specifically called out for her instead of her father was rather odd, but that didn't stop her from getting out of the house.</p><p>Along the way she passed a middle aged woman who'd been working for the family ever since Elisabeth moved to Cairo as a young girl. The stocky looking lady with hair as dark as coal and eyes the shape of almonds had taken care of her probably more than her own parents ever did. Elisabeth stopped and placed her hands on the woman's shoulders.</p><p>"Menna, I am not here." The girl said and nodded her head in the direction of the front door.</p><p>"Ai, what have you done now, danaya?" Menna asked her with a quick shake of her head.</p><p>This time Elisabeth had done nothing. In fact compared to what was normally the case, she'd been incredibly quiet over the past few months.</p><p>Though truthfully her hands and mind had been itching to go after that rumour about the French Foreign Legion discovering the city of the dead about a year ago. But because of her father angering the Egyptian authorities yet again, she'd laid low for a while.</p><p>"Look at me, Menna. Do I look like someone who causes troubl,-"</p><p>But she stopped as Menna glared at her intensely and with great disapproval.</p><p>"Never mind. Just, tell Dr. Bey I am,- somewhere." Elisabeth patted her former nanny on the arm and made her way towards the study room.</p><p>Once there she made her way towards the back of it and moved the sheer drapes aside. She could see nobody there, except for a few citrus trees obscuring part of the view. Quickly Elisabeth opened the window just enough to squeeze through.</p><p>It was quite a hassle as she wasn't exactly the shortest woman around, at least not to Egyptian standards, but due to her line of work she was rather flexible enough to climb through the opening.</p><p>She dropped herself onto the ground and pushed herself up with help from the wall. It wouldn't take long for Dr. Terrence Bey to realize she was no longer within the house, but just enough to get out of his way and stay hidden until he'd give up waiting for her.</p><p>However, knowing him, that might actually take some time. Elisabeth straightened her white blouse and made her way towards the market. She'd probably had to buy something to hide her hair, which most definitely would stand out amongst the crowd. Almost nobody in Cairo had golden brown hair, let alone a light complexion.</p><p>::::::...::::::</p><p>After walking through the narrow streets of Cairo, Elisabeth finally reached the market hidden within an even bigger maze of streets. But it was no problem for her, she'd lived in Cairo practically most of her life.</p><p>The real problem was hiding her face from people who knew Dr. Bey and this would surely be one of the places the man was going to search for her. She didn't know how he did it, but in the end he would always find her one way or another. The man had eyes everywhere.</p><p>"Zahrah!"</p><p>Elisabeth halted as she passed one of the many shops selling rolls of fabric and, strangely enough, cigars from Cuba. Most of the people in Cairo had trouble pronouncing her given name, but they did try.</p><p>Zahrah was a name used only by one specific person. Someone she had met back in 1920. The man who had called out to her was quite handsome. Tall, with broad shoulders and hair tied back in a ponytail.</p><p>She smiled when he waved his hand, it had been some time since she'd last seen him. There had even been a time she did not care seeing him at all.</p><p>"Samir." She exclaimed as the man approached her. "What are you doing here?" She asked him in his language.</p><p>"Errand for my mother." Samir replied smiling broadly.</p><p>Of course that was the case. Samir and his family didn't live in Cairo, they lived somewhere in the desert. Whenever he was in town, he was always on some sort of errand. Whenever he said 'for my mother', it hardly ever literally meant that.</p><p>"Where are you heading to? You seem flustered." He continued glancing her up and down.</p><p>"Dr. Bey." Elisabeth said. "You wouldn't by any chance have read the paper this morning, have you?"</p><p>"Actually, I have. Your father looked,- what is the word,- magnificent?"</p><p>Magnificent. That was not a word Elisabeth would use to describe her father. Aside from his gift of conning people into getting his way, she had not inherited his looks. No, those she got from her mother, for which she was incredibly grateful.</p><p>Sea green eyes and golden brown wavy hair and a sharp nose..</p><p>Samir probably meant the way her father had appeared in the picture, not his grand moustache. Which reminded her, she was still in need of a disguise in order to avoid prying of people who were acquainted with Dr. Bey.</p><p>The shop Elisabeth was standing in front of did not belong to Samir or anybody she particularly knew, but it was a great place to get what she needed.</p><p>She reached into her back pocket and took out a small pouch filled with currency. She took out some coins and held them in front of Samir.</p><p>"Could you do something for me?" She gave him a pleading look and Samir returned it with a frown.</p><p>Five minutes later Samir returned from the shop, holding a long piece of fabric in one hand and a smaller one in the other. The larger shawl was a dark burgundy red and the shorter piece was an odd colour of purple.</p><p>He handed them to her and Elisabeth couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at the two incredibly mismatched looking colours.</p><p>"You have terrible taste, Samir." She replied eyeing the colours described often in stories as those worn by the whore of Babylon.</p><p>"Pah. You sound like my mother." He extended his hand to return the change he'd been given from the shop owner, but Elisabeth shook her head.</p><p>"Keep it. For your lovely mother." She chuckled.</p><p>Samir shrugged and placed the coins in his pocket. "You know, I also have a brother."</p><p>Elisabeth waved her hand. "Yes, your older brother who you always complain about. Akhi is annoying, akhi never listens even though I am only one year younger."</p><p>"He is and he doesn't. But, I will give him your warmest regards. Not the money." He quickly added.</p><p>"No, of course not. That is for your mother." Elisabeth winked and thanked Samir once again for helping her with obtaining the fabrics.</p><p>"Goodbye, Zahrah."</p><p>As quickly as she could Elisabeth wrapped the purple fabric around her face and head, making sure most of her golden tresses were hidden out of sight. She then draped the burgundy shawl around her upper body, She couldn't do much about the pants, but at least she wouldn't be recognized as Elisabeth Borchardt who usually only dressed in light colours.</p><p>Now all she had to do was stay out of sight long enough for Dr. Bey to give up the search for the day. She doubted the man was going to sit around her father's house in order to catch her.</p><p>::::::...::::::</p><p>Lunch had come and gone and customers were slowly leaving one of the lesser known cafés in the area where Elisabeth had taken refuge for the day. So far she'd had no luck with overhearing passersby with interesting information on artefacts, but she had managed to escape prying eyes of people associated with the curator. Or so the young woman hoped.</p><p>Quietly she sat underneath one of the windows of the coffee bar, eavesdropping in on conversations to the best of her abilities. Most bars in this area didn't allow women inside and thanks to Samir's choice in fabric, it was more than obvious that Elisabeth was a woman.</p><p>Ultimately, hiding was more important than obtaining information for her father, who probably wouldn't be back for another couple of months, especially now that he'd finally decided after a decade to reveal his greatest discovery to the public.</p><p>Her stomach growled as the mouth watering smell of food, coming from the kitchen near her, hit her nostrils. It was probably safe now for her to return to the centre of Cairo. After all, she'd been gone for almost four hours.</p><p>Perhaps a quick stopover at the market to get some food would satisfy her stomach, maybe a small gift for Menna as a thank you for getting rid of the curator. Elisabeth stood up from the sandy floor and dusted herself off. Discovering more about the ring would have to wait until tomorrow.</p><p>"There you are." A loud voice spoke and Elisabeth flinched. She recognized it far too well. She turned her head and locked eyes with a bald headed man who currently looked quite proud of himself.</p><p>"Oh, for heaven's sake." Elisabeth groaned softly as Dr. Bey crossed his arms.</p><p>"What on Earth are you doing here of all places? Don't you know this is part of the slum area?" The man continued.</p><p>Well, she wasn't able to outsmart him now. Running away right in front of his face would stir up more trouble than what the whole situation was worth. How had he even managed to find her out here?</p><p>Every fibre in her body had the urge to strike back with a witty comment, but manners held her back though her mind thought otherwise. There was a reason why she had chosen this area and it hadn't been because of the lovely view, or the smell for that matter. Except that whiff of hawawshi currently being prepared a few feet behind her.</p><p>Elisabeth lowered the sash from her mouth and smiled politely at the man. Someone had ratted her out to him, she was sure of it. From a distance he could have never known it had been her, sitting on the ground in a crouched manner, with all of her western features hidden beneath an array of red and purple.</p><p>It would be impossible to find out who had managed to reveal her whereabouts to Dr. Bey, there were too many people the guy knew but she was certain it had happened when she was at the market with Samir.</p><p>Perhaps he was the one who had told the curator how she'd veiled herself, he'd probably done it in order to get a reward. Next time she'd see the man again, she was going to interrogate him on it.</p><p>"Dr. Bey, I had no idea you were looking for me? To what do I owe the pleasure?" She said as innocently as possible.</p><p>"Actually it's your father who owes me the pleasure, but seeing as he's currently in Berlin, I guess you'll have to do instead." The older man gritted his teeth and motioned to his left. "If I may take up some of your time?"</p><p><em>No. </em>"Certainly." She replied. "Please, lead on."</p><p>The two of them walked out of the lower streets of Cairo back towards the market where Elisabeth found Samir earlier this morning. If she were to spot him now, there was nothing she could do but ignore it for the time being, which was very lucky for him indeed.</p><p>As they walked towards the centre of Cairo, most likely towards the museum of which Dr. Bey was the curator of, Elisabeth suddenly noticed somebody following them with their eyes.</p><p>She decreased her speed and quietly turned her head. Now that she looked more closely she spotted another one of them on the other side of the street, dressed in the same long black robe. She reached out and grabbed hold of the curator's arm.</p><p>"Yes, Miss Borchardt?" He asked with a frown on his face.</p><p>"I think we're being followed." She whispered glancing once more over her shoulder.</p><p>But Dr. Bey waved his hand and removed her grip on him. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would anyone want to follow us and especially during this time of day?"</p><p>That was an excellent question and unfortunately Elisabeth had no answer to it. But she didn't think she was being ridiculous at all, because it wasn't the first time she'd seen men clad in dark long robes accompanied by an impressive looking turban on their heads.</p><p>In fact, she must have seen them at least more than once but never here. Never in Cairo, at least not in busy crowded streets and not as close by like this. Usually they kept their distance, but they were always watching from afar.</p><p>Like that one time last year, when she managed to take that Anubis jar from a bunch of French guys at Al-Minya. She'd seen them on horseback when she made her way through the desert towards Cairo, but they hadn't done anything.</p><p>What were they called again? She'd asked Menna about it, but for the moment she couldn't recall what name they went by. According to Menna they were a nomadic folk that lived in the desert. Keeping tourists within the borders or out of places they shouldn't go, especially excavation sites.</p><p>She narrowed her eyes and noticed markings on their faces, she couldn't make out what they said and it wasn't because those men were standing too far away to properly see. It was because if there was one thing Elisabeth never learned or got a hang of, it was reading ancient Egyptian and she was most certain that that is what those markings were.</p><p>She moved her gaze to check if there were more of them but she couldn't spot anyone else. When she turned her head back to the other two, they were gone as well. That was odd, they were there just a second ago. Elisabeth stepped back and her eyes searched around the area, but the market was far too crowded.</p><p>"Where did they go?" She said.</p><p>"Where did who go?" Dr. Bey asked cocking his head sideways.</p><p>Elisabeth ignored his pointless comment. She wasn't nuts, she had seen them. The question of why were they here in Cairo rose again.</p><p>Were they really keeping tabs on her and the curator? Or only on one of them. It couldn't be her. Elisabeth hadn't been near or around any of the sites for the past few months, nor had she tried to sell any artefacts. Not even to the Museum of Antiquities. Dr. Terrence Bey, the curator of said museum, sighed out loud.</p><p>"Listen, Miss Borchardt, I would really like to continue. Unlike you, I don't have all day to roam the streets of Cairo."</p><p>Ouch. That was harsh. You'd never would have guessed this man had even hired her a few times before to get something he needed which he himself could not obtain.</p><p>"By all means, Dr. Bey, don't let me stop you. You are the one who wanted to talk to me, not the other way around. I was perfectly fine hanging around the lower streets."</p><p>For a quick second he looked her up and down, before he scoffed and turned his back to her. "I'm sure you were. Come now, we're nearly there."</p><p>::::::...::::::</p><p>Elisabeth's initial hunch that Dr. Bey was taking her to his museum turned out to be correct. She still couldn't believe the amount of trouble the man had gone through to have this conversation with her, the topic no doubt being about her father and the lie he'd told the Egyptian officials. The newspaper article of this morning was all the proof they needed to support it.</p><p>Dr. Bey led the way through the museum towards his office. The logs in the fireplace were still burning when they entered the room. He told her to have a seat in the chair across from him. Elisabeth did and finally removed the burgundy and purple cloths from her head. She shook out her golden brown hair which had turned more wavy due to the humidity.</p><p>"Finally." The bald man commented as he sat down in his chair. Elisabeth couldn't agree more. "Let's get straight to the point, shall we?" He continued reaching for something in the upper drawer of his desk.</p><p>Dr. Bey took out a couple of things. A few pieces of paper, a picture and a newspaper. The latter probably being this morning's paper. Elisabeth folded her hands together in her lap and waited for him to begin his questioning.</p><p>"I would like to begin with this,-" He shoved the newspaper in her direction. Elisabeth leaned slightly forward and took a quick glance at the picture of her father on the front page.</p><p>"Is this about the promise my father made about not revealing the statue to the public?" She asked nonchalantly.</p><p>"You know very well what this is about, Miss Borchardt." Dr. Bey's voice rose. "But you and I both know a thing or two about this bust of one of Egypt's most well-known ancient Queens."</p><p>Elisabeth pressed her lips together. She knew exactly what he was referring to. Back in 1912 her father made the discovery of a lifetime, according to his own words. But the problem was that he had lied to the authorities about what he was taking back to Berlin with him somewhere in 1913.</p><p>He never mentioned the bust, at least not to the exact detail. By the time the Egyptian officials discovered what her father had taken with him to Berlin, it was too late. No law or order could turn around what her father had done. He had calculated it all very cleverly.</p><p>It also didn't stop Ludwig from returning to Egypt to continue more excavations on various sites, but the place he always returned to was Amarna. But he never made the same type of discovery he had done so back in 1912. It didn't matter, his name would forever be known as the guy who discovered one of the most pristine looking pieces of Queen <em>Nefertiti.</em></p><p>But that wasn't really what Dr. Bey was referring to and Elisabeth knew exactly why he was as upset and angry as he was. Because not only did her father lie about taking the bust to Berlin in 1913, it wasn't the real one. He'd taken a fake one with him.</p><p>The original still being somewhere in Egypt, but even Elisabeth did not know where her father had hidden it. Now that he had revealed the fake bust, it no longer mattered. The world had seen it and the world was going to believe that that statue was the real deal.</p><p>"Dr. Bey. You must understand that I do not condone in any shape or form what my father has done regarding the statue of <em>Nefertiti.</em>"</p><p>And it was the truth. Despite being able to behave in the exact same manner her father was able to when it came to getting his way, Elisabeth did not agree on how he handled Egyptian artefacts.</p><p>The curator took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.</p><p>"I believe you." He replied, suddenly looking rather tired. "Still, it is not the main reason why I asked you here."</p><p>Elisabeth blinked her eyes and gave him a doubtful look. "It's not?"</p><p>"No, it is not." He repeated. "Though I do really want to find the location of the actual statue. But I highly doubt your father is planning to return within in the next year or so and even when he does, he probably will not reveal the location to anyone. Least of all tell me."</p><p>That would most likely be the case. Even Elisabeth did not know the secret about the bust until a few years ago, when she accidentally walked in on her mother and father having an argument and overheard them talking about his greatest discover being his downfall if the truth ever came out.</p><p>Naturally curious, Elisabeth immediately decided to roam through her father's papers and archives, only to eventually discover that he had hired a sculptor to copy the statue and change her appearance before taking it with him to Berlin back in 1913. How much he actually altered, she did not know. Nor had she to this day figured out where the original bust was kept.</p><p>But as it turned out, that wasn't why she was sitting in the museum of antiquities at this very moment. She hated to admit it, but she was rather curious to find out why.</p><p>"So, what is the other reason you decided to walk all the way through Cairo in order to find me?" She stared at him.</p><p>Dr. Bey cleared his throat, ignoring her rather obvious comment that she was very much aware of the extravagant way he'd gone through in order to find her.</p><p>"I know I normally ask for your services with,- objects. But this time it is something else."</p><p>"Something else?" Elisabeth repeated with a frown.</p><p>"Yes." He confirmed.</p><p>The woman grimaced. "I hope you're not talking about something still alive?"</p><p>"Sort of,-" Dr. Bey cleared his throat, placed a photograph on the table and pushed it her way.</p><p>The picture was that of a man, though it was hardly a good picture. It was a bit blurry, but the man was most definitely someone who was not from Egypt. His hair was short and of a dark shade, most likely brown. He wasn't a bad looking fellow.</p><p>"It's a picture of a man?"</p><p>"Yes, it is. He is an American and that is the most I know about it. I don't have a name or how long he has been in Egypt. In fact, I'm not even sure if he is still in the country. But if he is. I want him found."</p><p>It was incredibly weird seeing the man in front of her behave the way he did. It was obvious he wasn't just a curator. She'd known for a while now that he wasn't.</p><p>The amount of money he was willing to pay sometimes in order to obtain an artefact from her so her father wouldn't get his hands on it, proved as much. But at the moment Dr. Bey behaved more like a policeman instead of someone who dealt with antiquities.</p><p>"I fail to see why you're asking me about this. You want me to search for a man? Has he done anything wrong?" She asked.</p><p>"He took something. An artefact, but we're not exactly sure what he took. The other problem is what he knows. The place where he took it from is heavily guarded and," Dr. Bey paused for a second before continuing.</p><p>"All I know, is that this man went somewhere he shouldn't have, took something that wasn't his and we have no trace of where to find him or the artefact."</p><p>At the word '<em>we' </em>Elisabeth looked up from the picture and at the curator. "Who's we?"</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong> Cairo, Egypt - 1924 </strong>
</p>
<p>An ancient and secret organisation. A group of horse riders clad in dark robes and turbans with markings on their cheekbones and sometimes forehead. Known as protectors, bodyguards and even soldiers, they're called the Medjai and have been around for more than three-thousand years.</p>
<p>The Medjai have guarded multiple hidden and forgotten places across the desert, but their main goal is to prevent the rise of evil in the world. Evil, which comes in various shape or forms. But the one they fear the most is a High Priest named Imhotep, who was the advisor of Seti I.</p>
<p>It was exactly as Menna had told her, a group of desert dwellers who made sure tourists stayed out of trouble or stop them from causing harm, though her former nanny had left out the bit about the Medjai being ancient guardians whose apparent purpose is to stop evil from rising.</p>
<p>It all sounded like a bunch of hokum to Elisabeth, almost like a fairytale, but she wasn't going to tell Dr. Bey that. Not everything he'd explained to her sounded like a made up story though. Mostly because she had seen the Medjai before, today even, which meant they were very real and thus their history also was.</p>
<p>No, the part which sounded beyond believe was that the Medjai were all about preventing the rise of evil on Earth and that apparently the most dangerous evil of all was a High Priest called Imhotep. Some man who had been dead for over a thousand years. How could someone who wasn't even alive anymore be able to wreak havoc on the world?</p>
<p>Elisabeth was unfamiliar with the story of High Priest Imhotep and Dr. Bey had skipped that part rather quickly, which meant he either didn't deem it important or that he didn't want her to know about it.</p>
<p>She glanced at the picture of the American once again. So far the curator had only told her who he'd meant when he used the pronoun <em>we,</em> but he still hadn't explained to her why he was asking her for help instead of these Medjai folk.</p>
<p>It made no sense to her. Sure, she was intelligent, she spoke a few languages and knew how to talk her way out of almost any situation. She was a trader, a dealer of trinkets, a thief even to some.</p>
<p>That did not mean that she was a detective and most of all she was definitely not a warrior. She fought with words, not guns and swords.</p>
<p>"Let me see if I understand this correctly. You are part of this secret organisation?" She began and Dr. Bey nodded. "And you're also the curator of this museum."</p>
<p>"Yes. Look, I may be too old to ride out there with the Medjai, but that doesn't stop me from doing my duty to help my people however I can." He replied impatiently.</p>
<p>At least the man acknowledged his age and truthfully he didn't seem very fit to be a Medjai warrior. Elisabeth honestly wondered if the man would be able to survive in the desert even for one night.</p>
<p>"And this artefact you mentioned, you <em>think</em> this guy has it?" Elisabeth asked.</p>
<p>For some reason Dr. Bey pressed his lips together in a tight line. Somehow her words had insulted him.</p>
<p>"We don't think, Miss Borchardt, we know." He replied shortly as he unfolded his hands and placed them on the surface of his desk.</p>
<p>Oh, she'd started something now, hadn't she? If she wanted answers she'd have to choose her words correctly.</p>
<p>"Yes, you mentioned that. But how do you know for certain? Tourists come and go. Some buy trinkets, some take things from excavation sites. For all you know he could have just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."</p>
<p>Words were not chosen wisely apparently for Dr. Bey stood up from his seat. His face slightly red and a thick vein above his right eye seemed ready to pop. The woman cowered back in her chair a bit.</p>
<p>"Because, Miss Borchardt, this person was the last one seen to leave the site and the only one we haven't been able to track down yet."</p>
<p><em>The last one to leave the site?</em> There were even more questions springing up in her mind and if Dr. Bey was that adamant on getting her help, she should be allowed to ask him a thing or two more.</p>
<p>Elisabeth cleared her throat, trying to ignore the slight shock the curator had given her by raising his voice all of a sudden. "Okay, so there is physical proof he was there at this forbidden place and that he was the last one to leave?"</p>
<p>"Yes. Yes." The man across from her answered letting out a deep breath.</p>
<p>"Like I said, we are certain that he was the one. It was seen with eyes of our own. So, to come back to my original question. Will you help us search for this man?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth crossed her legs, leaned back in her chair and pretended to think about his proposal. Actually it was more of a question she had. Because so far he hadn't even offered anything in return for her help.</p>
<p>She wasn't going to do this for free. Though she was incredibly interested in this supposedly important object. Why was it so valuable? It obviously had something to do with that High Priest.</p>
<p>A dangerous man, buried at a sacred site, which was being kept out of sight purposely. Either this place was something incredible and filled to the brim with treasures, or it was a place filled with booby traps to keep people out if those Medjai failed to protect it.</p>
<p>The American had found this place. He had managed to leave it unharmed and apparently without the Medjai doing anything about it. She looked at the picture again for the third time, this man piqued her interest a great deal.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Dr. Bey. I mean, is there actual proof that he took something from the site? You say he took something, but you don't even know what he took. This all sounds incredible far fetched, even you have to admit this. Oh, no, don't get me wrong,-" She quickly added as she could see Dr. Bey was about to lose his temper.</p>
<p>"I do believe you belong to this secret group called the Medjai. There is no doubt about that. But a stranger took some an artefact from a forbidden place, which is the resting place of some dead High Priest? The American was seen leaving the site, but nobody thought of stopping him and now you can't find this man and are asking me for help with finding him?"</p>
<p>She stood up and pushed her chair back.</p>
<p>"I fail to see what I can do, when apparently it was thanks to your own people that this man managed to escape in the first place,-"</p>
<p>Suddenly a loud bang echoed through the office causing everything to fall silent the moment the sound settled down. Elisabeth had almost jumped out of her skin and grabbed hold of the chair to steady herself.</p>
<p>With her heart bursting out of her chest from the scare, the woman turned her head towards the door where the sound had originated from. The man who had slammed the door and scared the living daylights out of her was obviously a Medjai.</p>
<p>His robe long and black as the night, accompanied by a turban of the same colour propped on the top of his head. There were two identical markings tattooed on his cheekbones and his expression was a stern one. As if today hadn't been exhausting enough with trying to get away from Dr. Bey, now a member of his group decided to show up within the museum.</p>
<p>"Ardeth, Salaam." Dr. Bey said with a short bow of his head.</p>
<p>The man nodded at the curator and threw another glare in Elisabeth's direction. It was obvious he had heard her latter words, but how much he had actually heard in total she did not know.</p>
<p>She acknowledged him with a quick bob of her head. The man Dr. Bey had greeted as Ardeth made his way over to the two of them. He halted a couple of feet next to her, but chose to ignore Elisabeth now that he was proper greeting distance.</p>
<p>"I came as soon as I heard from Samir. He told me you found the person you were looking for." The Medjai man said to Dr. Bey in Arabic, his eyes flicked to his right for a quick second.</p>
<p>Elisabeth frowned as the man clad in black mentioned the name Samir. The name <em>Samir </em>was quite a common amongst the people of Egypt, but something inside Elisabeth told her that the Samir this Ardeth character was referring to, was the same Samir she knew personally.</p>
<p>Which meant that her initial hunch, of who had probably betrayed her whereabouts to Dr. Bey, had been right. It had in fact been him. Oh, he was going to get it the next time she saw him.</p>
<p>There was no doubt in her mind that this wasn't the first time he'd pulled that stunt. Pretending to help and then revealing her hiding place to the curator. No wonder the man had been able to find her each and every time. It must have almost always been Samir judged on this tidbit of information. She was sure of it.</p>
<p>"I am going to kill him." Elisabeth muttered under her breath.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong><em>Cairo, Egypt - 1920</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>How long had she been here? Five minutes? An hour? It was hard to tell without a pocket watch and the sun was currently obscured due to the location of her hiding spot. Not that she would have been able to perfectly tell time simply by looking at the sun, it would be an estimated guess such as noon or dinner time. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It didn't really matter how long she'd been where she was as long as it was long enough to get away from him and also make sure to get back to the house in time before supper.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>With her right hand she reached for her pocket and searched with her fingers for the weird rectangular shaped object which she had nicked earlier that morning from some tourist in the Casbah. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The item was heavy for its size, which could either mean it was a completely solid or something was hidden inside of it. She'd promised to return the item, it could fetch a higher price on the black market, but a promise was a promise and she didn't take those light-heartedly. Plus, the reward would still be high enough.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Ma sha Allah." A voice suddenly said just as she was about to move away from the barrel she'd been sitting next to.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth looked up into the direction of the voice, locking eyes with a good looking male. He seemed about her age, with a neatly trimmed beard and dark eyes. He appeared to be alone, glancing left and right before making his way over towards her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Anti jamilah." The young man said towering over her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth knew what it meant, she spoke the language perfectly. Well, perhaps not perfectly. Menna, her nanny since she was ten years old, was from Cairo and spoke broken English. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It was easier to teach a young girl Arabic than learn a new language at her age. It was safe to say Elisabeth knew enough of the language, she would just never sound like a native.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But that didn't matter now for she was not in the mood for flirtations, especially with someone she did not know and because it was also the wrong time for it. If this guy planned to keep talking to her, the officials would surely find her again. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She turned her head away from him and stepped away from the barrel.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Hey, wait!" He yelled at her in English as she hurried past him. "I did not mean to frighten you."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth halted and looked back at him over her shoulder. "You didn't. I just don't have time." She replied in his language.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The young man's expression suddenly changed and he clacked his tongue. "You know our language? Do you live here?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh great, he was of the sociable sort. She pressed her lips in a tight line and walked back to him. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her expression angry and she got up in his face. "Yes. But I don't have time to talk to you."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I'm Samir." He said completely ignoring her words, which she was certain she'd pronounced correctly. "What is your name?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Mein Gott." Elisabeth cursed in her own language.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Mei,- sorry?" Samir repeated.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth shook her head. "My name is,-." She paused, she couldn't use her true name. Not with a stranger. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"It is Lillian." She told him instead, which was her second name.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Lillian." He tripped over her name. "What does it mean?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She gave him an odd look. "What? It is a,-" She did not know the Arabic word for lily. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"It means,- flower."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Flower. It is a nice name, it suits you."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>This was taking forever. She had to get away from him before their talk would alert anybody in the premise. She could not get caught with this artefact resting in her pocket. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Quickly, she slipped her hand towards its location, checking to see if the box was still there. Was it her imagination or did her coat feel lighter than earlier? Elisabeth glanced down to her right. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her pocket seemed flat, as if there was nothing there. Her eyes widened and her lips parted and when she looked back up all of the blood drained from her face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Samir was already standing a few feet away from her, holding a rectangle shaped object in his hand. He tossed it up into the air and caught it, quite gracefully, with his hand once more. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Until we meet again, Zahra!" He laughed and dashed away like a rabbit running from a predator.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It took five seconds before Elisabeth realised that she had just been robbed. Her. Robbed. In broad daylight, nonetheless. Her jaw practically dropped to the ground. Nobody nicked from her. Especially not some good-looking man with barely any hairs on him. Except for his face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Elisabeth Borchardt!"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Crap. Elisabeth didn't even dare to turn her head around at hearing the voice of the district's official. She had two choices. Either run for it and give chase to Samir the thief or politely wait for the officer and innocently ask what he wanted from her. The good thing was that he would find nothing on her. That very thing made her blood boil at the same time. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>This was turning out to be a bad day indeed.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The young woman sighed and ran her hand across her face. Acting innocent it was. She took a deep breath and turned to the man who had just screamed her name across the plaza. "Salaam. However may I help you today?"</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1924 </strong>
</p>
<p>Samir might have made a bad impression the first time the two of them met. But that changed almost immediately the second time their paths crossed. Once a trickster, always a trickster as it turned out to be.</p>
<p>Elisabeth gritted her teeth and muttered something as Dr. Bey licked his lips and coughed awkwardly to draw her attention back to the present.</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt, meet Ardeth Bay. Chieftain of the Medjai group that protect the site where High Priest Imhotep is buried."</p>
<p>Ardeth Bay finally decided that now was the moment to exchange pleasantries. He turned his body towards her, standing about four inches taller. The turban made him appear even taller than he probably was, but his posture and demeanour was impressive to say the least.</p>
<p>His features were sharp, his skin a warm tone and his beard trimmed every so neatly. Even now that she saw the dark markings on his cheekbones, she still couldn't make out what they meant and she doubted he would tell her if she asked about them.</p>
<p>The most impressive thing about Ardeth however were his eyes. Warm and gentle, nothing like the way he carried himself.</p>
<p>She'd seen those eyes before though and now that she got an even better look at Ardeth Bay, she began to see even more similarities. That sharp jaw line, his strong nose, even his beard was trimmed in the same manner.</p>
<p>It didn't take long for Elisabeth to put two and two together and she mouthed an <em>oh my god, </em>after realizing something about the man standing next to her. But she couldn't believe it, she didn't want to believe it.</p>
<p>Every time Samir and her spoke, he always felt the need to complain about something regarding his older brother.</p>
<p>
  <em>Akhi did this, Akhi did that, Akhi gets all the attention.</em>
</p>
<p>She knew very well akhi was Arabic for brother, but somehow she'd never asked more about Samir's family. Especially because after asking about them twice it was obvious that it was a topic he shut down quickly.</p>
<p>Elisabeth knew Samir lived in the desert with his family, which was probably the reason why she'd only met him and not the rest of them. Not even his mother, whose name she did know due to that one occasion when Samir asked for her help which involved her.</p>
<p>But now she didn't dare to ask Ardeth Bay about her inkling regarding Samir, mostly because she was afraid that he was going to confirm what she suspected.</p>
<p>The more she stared at him up close, the more certain she got. Cursing herself, Elisabeth made a mental note to ask Samir about it later instead, before she was going to kill him, of course.</p>
<p>Did this automatically mean that Samir was also a Medjai? He lacked the tattoos on his cheeks, but did every Medjai have those? More questions crossed her mind and for a second she'd forgotten why she was standing in Dr. Bey's office.</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt." The Medjai man greeted her.</p>
<p>"Pleasure to meet you, Ardeth Bay." Elisabeth extended her right hand towards him.</p>
<p>His name didn't sound Egyptian or Arabic and she wondered if it was his true name or an alias he used. Nonetheless it was a nice name and suited him. He lowered his dark eyes and shook her hand only once, his grip was warm and firm.</p>
<p>He turned his attention back to Dr. Bey who, in the meantime, had stepped away from his desk.</p>
<p>"Ardeth is the one who saw the American last. Because of this, you might want to direct any questions you have to him. Also any other information you manage to find on the man, or if you happen to somehow stumble upon that which he stole, you'll report to him." He nodded in Ardeth's direction.</p>
<p>Apparently Dr. Bey was already under the impression that Elisabeth agreed to help him out, but again so far nobody had made any sort of offer in return.</p>
<p>Sure, she respected the Egyptian culture, unlike her father in her opinion, but that didn't mean she worked for free. She was about to open her mouth when Ardeth spoke up.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid any other inquiries will have to wait. There are different matters I need to discuss with you first." He said this to Terence Bey who arched an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Very well, I guess we don't have anything else to discuss. Miss Borchardt, you know the way out?" The bald headed man motioned into the direction of the door. But Elisabeth wasn't going to let herself be pushed out of the room that easily.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Dr. Bey. But I am certain I did not agree to help you or the Medjai yet with this incident." She cleared her throat. "I mean we haven't even discussed compensation for this."</p>
<p>"Compensation?"</p>
<p>"Surely you did not think I was just going to help you without knowing what's in it for me?" Elisabeth huffed.</p>
<p>"Honestly, Dr. Bey. I thought you knew me better than that?" The Medjai and Dr. Bey looked at each other. Neither of them spoke but it almost seemed as if they were having a conversation with their minds.</p>
<p>Finally, at the same time, both men turned their heads her way. She did not like the look on their faces however. Her comment probably insulted them on some level. Elisabeth knew she was very good at that when it came to Dr. Bey and she suspected Ardeth Bay would not be any different.</p>
<p>"You realize that the Medjai asking for help should not be taken lightly? Especially if it is asked of an outsider?" Ardeth began before turning to Dr. Bey. "What exactly did you tell her?" He asked him in Arabic.</p>
<p>But it was Elisabeth who answered. "Dr. Bey has told me more than enough. But as I said, I do not work for free."</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt, the fate of the world might depend on finding this man. It is a risk we're not willing to take." Dr. Bey replied.</p>
<p>"Yes, yes. High Priest Imhotep will unleash evil upon the world. But why ask me? I do not even know this man, yet you ask me for help and why? Because I'm good at finding hidden things? Because I'm good at tricking people into giving me artefacts you're looking for? Perhaps if you give me a good reason, preferably a sum of money, I will help you find him." She crossed her arms and stared at the curator.</p>
<p>Dr. Bey rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous manner. He really did not have any other choice but to tell her why he'd asked her out of all people. The Medjai couldn't seem to trace this American, but still there were plenty of other people in Cairo they could ask for help. Finally Dr. Bey gave in.</p>
<p>"We believe that your father has had dealings with this man before. Right before he left for Berlin even."</p>
<p>Ah, of course. Her father.</p>
<p>It was only logical they asked for her help. if anyone would be able to figure out who and when her father had had dealings with, it would be her. Well that explained more, still it was not a good enough reason. Especially since Dr. Bey used the word <em>rumour</em>.</p>
<p>Elisabeth was already planning on helping them, mainly because this story about Imhotep interested her, plus the chance of finding a forbidden city with a possible treasure intrigued her even more.</p>
<p>But now that Dr. Bey had mentioned her father, even if it was a rumour, she knew there must be something good to find if he indeed spoke to the American.</p>
<p>"Will I get something in return if I help?" She asked once again.</p>
<p>Her eyes moved towards Ardeth Bay, whose face had turned even more cold and harsh than it had looked earlier. It was clear he did not like her behaviour. She wondered for a moment if Samir had ever mentioned her to him. If he did, he definitely was never going to treat her with the same kindness his brother had done.</p>
<p>It was Ardeth who replied through gritted teeth. "If you find him, you will be rewarded. Though assisting in possibly saving the world should be enough to satisfy one who has honour."</p>
<p>Honour. If Elisabeth really was anything like her father, there was no honour to be found. She had respect, sure. But honour? She conjured up a smile and for the second time that day extended her right hand towards Ardeth Bay. "You've got yourself a deal, Chieftain of the Medjai."</p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p>
  <strong>The Borchardt residence. </strong>
</p>
<p>Her feet felt heavy the moment she dragged herself through the front door. She was warm, sweaty, tired and hungry.</p>
<p>Before walking back to the house, Elisabeth had gone back to the market to look for Samir. There was no doubt in her mind that he had been the one to betray her whereabouts to Dr. Bey, each and every time.</p>
<p>The main reason why she had no doubt in her mind was also due to the extreme similarities between that of Samir and the Medjai Ardeth Bay. Ardeth was Samir's akhi. He had to be.</p>
<p>The two looked almost identical, despite Samir being the younger one if she remembered correctly. Unless there was more than one brother. But of course her hope of finding the man for the second time that day had been in vain.</p>
<p>There was no trace of him in the market, nor the narrow streets behind the Casbah. She'd even asked around just to make certain, but nobody could or felt the need, to help her.</p>
<p>Eventually she made her way back to her house feeling mostly angry rather than happy because of what occurred in Dr. Bey's office. She would be lying if she said she wasn't excited with starting her search for this American man.</p>
<p>The easiest place to begin her search would be in her father's office. There were a few things she had to search for, the first being information on the High Priest Imhotep. Who he was and where he was supposedly buried.</p>
<p>Then she would have to figure out when her father last spoke to the man she was suppose to find. Ludwig had left for Berlin in 1923, which meant that the American had been out hiding for at least a couple of months already.</p>
<p>At some point she would also have to ask Ardeth Bay a couple of questions. When at he last seen the American and where. Most importantly, why had he let him go in the first place? Did he perhaps know what this artefact looked like?</p>
<p>There were a lot of questions needing to be answered, still and she could only hope he would be willing to answer them. How was she suppose to contact him actually? Through Dr. Bey? Perhaps she'd left the museum too quickly.</p>
<p>Elisabeth sighed deeply and rubbed her temples as she walked through the entrance hall. She was tired and her head felt like it was ready to explode.</p>
<p>"Danaya." The soft voice of Menna sounded from the end of the hall.</p>
<p>The Egyptian woman approached her with a smile. "You were gone long, everything alright?"</p>
<p>"I'm fine, Menna. I had a talk with Dr. Bey and a friend of his." Elisabeth lowered her hands from her face. "Which reminds me, if a man comes by named Ardeth Bay, you may let him into the house."</p>
<p>Menna cocked her head and frowned at the girl. "Ardeth Bay?" She repeated, the name sounded odd when she pronounced it.</p>
<p>"You know the name?" Elisabeth asked.</p>
<p>She would be surprised if Menna did, though it was her former nanny who had told her the story of a nomadic group of desert dwellers. Perhaps she knew more about them than Elisabeth realised.</p>
<p>However Menna shook her head. "No. But I will remember it. Would you like some coffee, danaya?"</p>
<p>Coffee. Yes, she would love that very much. Elisabeth leaned forward and planted a kiss on Menna's forehead. "Thank you, ammati. I'll be in papa's room."</p>
<p>Menna nodded and walked away into the direction of the kitchen as Elisabeth went to her father's study room. The room was grand, as was all of the furniture in it. Many artefacts covered each corner of the room and multiple maps of excavation sites adorned the walls.</p>
<p>Behind her father's den desk stood one of many floor to ceiling bookcases. She knew this was the one she need to begin her research for this specific part contained books on the 19th dynasty. Dr. Bey had said Imhotep was the high priest for Seti I. Thus that was where she would begin her research.</p>
<p>It wasn't until she found herself having difficult reading one of the books in front of her when she realised the sun had already set. Her initial intention of only spending a short time on research today had already failed.</p>
<p>As it turned out, her father did not have that many books regarding the reigning period of Seti I, which automatically meant quite the lack of information regarding High Priest Imhotep.</p>
<p>It irked her a great deal. This man was obviously important and dangerous, why else would the Medjai guard him after thousands of years? So why couldn't she find hardly anything on him?</p>
<p>Elisabeth groaned and slumped back in her father's chair. The room was getting darker by the second, not to mention warmer. She unbuttoned her white blouse, stood up from her seat and walked over to one of the windows.</p>
<p>The cool evening breeze was welcoming against her bare sweaty skin.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was a better idea to continue her research in the morning. Maybe even figure out a way to contact the chieftain of the Medjai to ask his all of the questions burning on the tip of her tongue. She still couldn't believe that Ardeth Bay was probably Samir's older brother.</p>
<p>There was really no such thing as coincidences, at least she did not believe in them. It didn't matter that he was though, in fact, in could make things easier. Samir might even be able to give her information if his older brother was unwilling to give them to her.</p>
<p>Elisabeth sat down in the open window and listened to the birds chirp from one of the many lemon trees standing in the garden, hoping that tomorrow would be able to provide her with answers.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>- As you can probably tell, Samir will have some part in the story. Minor, but still crucial regarding the relationship between Ardeth and Elisabeth.</p>
<p>- English is not my native language, therefore I apologize for any errors you may come across that I failed to double check.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Coward</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1924</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The birds were still chirping in the lemon trees, even louder than before. Had something startled them or were they simply being extra obnoxious at this time of day?</p>
<p>Elisabeth opened one of her eyes to look at the evergreen right in front of her to see what all the commotion was about. But something was different than before, she blinked and pushed herself upright.</p>
<p>There was not tree in front of her, instead she was staring at a couple of books which she'd been reading for research on High Priest Imhotep.</p>
<p>She frowned and turned her head with utter confusion towards the window, she was sure she'd been sitting in that very same spot, right before she opened her eyes.</p>
<p>The study room was so warm and humid that she'd unbuttoned her blouse and opened one of the windows to sit at and let the outside breeze cool her sweaty skin.</p>
<p>The plan had been to stay there for a few minutes and then head up to the dining room to get some candles, so she could continue researching her father's books. But that was apparently no longer necessary as night time had come and gone. The sun shone brightly through the now closed window, morning had dawned.</p>
<p>Elisabeth didn't recall getting away from the window, nor did she remember falling asleep even. She pushed her chair back. Had Menna found her asleep in the study and carried her to the desk?</p>
<p>No, that would not be possible, the woman was strong of mind, not strong of body. Perhaps she had been sleepwalking, but that was something she had never done before to her recollection.</p>
<p>A chill ran over her body and Elisabeth glanced down at her chest. Her blouse was still unbuttoned. However she'd managed to get away from the window, it was a good thing. If she had been sleeping, she might have fallen out of it at some point during the night.</p>
<p>The woman stood up from her seat and groggily made her way back to the window, opened it and stuck her head outside to look around. The birds had stopped their morning song and the sounds of men and women shouting indistinguishable words filled the street around the house.</p>
<p>This was probably something not even worth fretting over, but that was something she tended to do whenever something unexplainable happened. There was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen amongst the lemon trees either.</p>
<p>A knock sounded from the far end of the room and Elisabeth turned around swiftly. It was Menna, standing on the threshold of the door connecting the study with the corridor.</p>
<p>"Sabah alkhair, danaya." Menna entered the room but stopped midway, cleared her throat and patted her chest with her hand.</p>
<p>It took Elisabeth a second to realise Menna was trying to tell the young woman to cover up her exposed bra.</p>
<p>"Sorry." She quickly muttered as she buttoned her blouse. "Good morning to you too."</p>
<p>"I knew I'd find you here. Your room was empty this morning." Menna commented with a shake of her head.</p>
<p>"You should not sleep in here, danaya. It is not healthy for your back. Next time you walk to bed instead of staying in here."</p>
<p>Elisabeth frowned at her former nanny as she walked over to one of the other windows to open it up.</p>
<p>"Did I sleep here?" She asked watching the older woman closely.</p>
<p>Menna clapped her hands together. "Did you not hear me? Your bed was the same as yesterday. I see you here in your papa's room. If you did not sleep here, then where did you sleep?"</p>
<p>It wouldn't be the first time Elisabeth had not spent the night in the house. But the reasoning behind that, was something she would never reveal to Menna, or anybody else for that matter. She was no fool though, Menna always knew who was in or out of the home, but in the end she would never pry.</p>
<p>Elisabeth smiled weakly at her nanny. "I'm sorry, Menna. I'll go to bed next time. Thank you for checking on me."</p>
<p>"Aywa, it's fine." Menna waved her hand. "I am going to the market this morning. Please, stay out of trouble."</p>
<p>She threw Elisabeth a stern look before turning on her heels to leave the room, shaking her head in the process while muttering something under her breath.</p>
<p>Elisabeth groaned and buried her head in her hands. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like such a careless idiot.</p>
<p>Falling asleep without realizing and not to mention walking around apparently without being conscious about it. Whatever had been the case last night, she'd have no choice but to let the matter go.</p>
<p>With a deep sigh she turned her head back to the desk, ready to clear it up when something caught her eye. It wasn't any of the books, nor paper fallen from the scattered stack on the desk, but something purple and red.</p>
<p>She leaned forward and reached for the pieces of fabrics lying on the chair where she'd woken up a few minutes ago. It were the shawls she'd used to cover herself up yesterday. The awful mismatched coloured cloths Samir had bought for her in the market.</p>
<p>But how did they get here? Elisabeth remembered leaving them behind in the curator's office, or hadn't she? Had she per chance brought them back with her and in the end use them to cover herself when she fell asleep last night?</p>
<p>Quickly she shook her head. No. No that she would have remembered. She had left them at the museum.</p>
<p>"Oh, what does it even matter." She told herself. "I have more important things to think of."</p>
<p>Elisabeth took the shawls with her and walked out of the study.</p>
<p>After having a quick meal, a warm shower and a change of clothes, Elisabeth left the house to continue her assignment elsewhere. It was apparent she wasn't going to find a lot in her father's books.</p>
<p>So far the only things she'd discovered about High Priest Imhotep was that he served Seti I. There were no records really to be found on the man, making her think he probably vanished at some point or that nobody wanted him to be found.</p>
<p>One thing was for sure, there had to be a pretty good reason why the Medjai protected Imhotep's location so intensely. Especially due to the severe lack of data on the guy.</p>
<p>It wouldn't come as a surprise to her, if those Medjai tried everything they could to keep records about the priest hidden from the outside world. Including books and scrolls.</p>
<p>Elisabeth realized if she ever were to ask Ardeth Bay about the High Priest, the chances of him telling her specific information was going to be slim to practically nothing.</p>
<p>She'd have to think of a way to make him tell her at least something, without making it seem that that was all she was interested in. She'd have to ask him questions in such a way, that it would seem she needed details about the missing American and not the High Priest.</p>
<p>After all, it was the American this whole search was about. The curator had asked for her help. Well, the actual reason why they'd asked her help in the first place, was because of her father.</p>
<p>That already made the whole matter even more interesting. If her father had been in contact with this man, what was the reason? Knowing Ludwig it could mean something of incredible splendour or absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>The other problem was that her father was currently back in Berlin and she had no idea when he would return to Egypt. The only thing she could do was sent a written message, asking when he was planning to return with her mother.</p>
<p>For there was no way she would get any information about the thief via a letter. Until then she'd have to find a different way of figuring out where the American was. It was rather odd though, considering the curator asked for her help, when even he himself had commented that it would probably be a while before her father would return from Germany.</p>
<p>Elisabeth was quite used to her father not being home. The longest was during the start of the Great War, when he was in Berlin because of that blasted statue. Elisabeth had been lucky that her mother wasn't fully German and she, at the time, was only an adolescent.</p>
<p>They used her mother's French maiden name when it was needed and stayed in one of the smaller town on the outskirts of Egypt most of the time. Especially, after too many British soldiers and officials began to occupy the city of Cairo. If her father had been there, perhaps things would have gone differently.</p>
<p>The people of Cairo had not cared for the British occupying most of Egypt. Eventually, Ludwig didn't come back until the war was over, which took four years and even after that it was a tricky matter for them to be in Cairo. Her mother ignored her father for over a good course of six months after his return.</p>
<p>It was not something to dwell on as it no longer mattered, it had been almost six years since the war ended and two years since the unilateral declaration of Egyptian independence. Things had significantly changed, though Elisabeth did still use a different name when dealing with Englishmen. Out of precaution, of course.</p>
<p>Finally the market came into sight and Elisabeth stopped a couple of feet away before entering, placing the sheer purple shawl in her bag and draped the red one loosely around her shoulders.</p>
<p>She had promised Menna to stay out of trouble, for today at least, and that was exactly what she was going to do. The main reason why she decided to go to the market in the first place, was because she was hoping for the chance to meet with Samir. Although she had no idea whether that was going to happen or not. Their encounters were always unplanned.</p>
<p>Yet due to what occurred yesterday, Elisabeth couldn't shake the feeling that a chance of meeting him today were significantly higher than normally. All she had to do was look out for him and catch him before he had the chance to scurry off.</p>
<p>She roamed the narrow streets for a while. <em>Where was that tall traitor hiding?</em></p>
<p>The early morning market was always a busy one and she wouldn't be surprised if Samir was deliberately staying out of sight from her. If his older brother had mentioned her to him, then she probably wouldn't find him at all.</p>
<p>Elisabeth decided she was going to search until noon before backtracking towards the museum to have a talk with the curator. She had to find a way to contact the Medjai chieftain and ask him a thing or two about the missing American.</p>
<p>Suddenly she stopped. There, in front of one of the more touristy eating locations, stood two men. One dressed in a long black robe and the other in the exact same outfit he'd worn yesterday. She recognised both of them immediately. Samir and Ardeth Bay.</p>
<p>Though Ardeth was actually the one she really needed to see, it was Samir who she wanted to talk to more. Plus, she very much doubted Ardeth would plan on running away from her the moment he'd see her approach them.</p>
<p>With clenched fists she practically stomped through the plaza towards the men. Of course, it was Samir who noticed her first. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Elisabeth's angry face walking his way in a swift manner.</p>
<p>Quickly he patted Ardeth on his shoulder, said something and rushed off before she'd even gotten close enough. Her jaw dropped as she watched him dash off. Oh, she was really going to kill him now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em><strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1920</strong> </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>She hoped to encounter him sooner or later and when she did, she was going to kick him all the way to Timbuktu. But it had already been over two months since she'd seen the guy who'd robbed her and she was beginning to wonder if he was even a resident in the city of Cairo. </em>
</p>
<p><em>She'd never seen him prior to that day and he had the kind of face one would remember. Sure, he looked like any other local, but the way</em> <em> carried himself, not to mention he had managed to deceive her, it was different from anybody else she knew. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>Her father had given her an earful after she'd returned to the house. Not because she no longer carried the trinket with her. Oh no, he had no idea about that. The shouting had been due to the fact that she was late for dinner and it was her turn to buy it as well, which caused an even larger uproar within the Borchardt household. </em>
</p>
<p><em>It was a good thing Ludwig had no idea about the dealings Elisabeth ran</em> <em>. He would never allow her near any of the digging sites ever again, or worse, sent her to Berlin. Somewhere she did not want to go.<br/></em></p>
<p>
  <em>Letting herself get robbed by that young man still irked her, even after those couple of months. She couldn't possibly understand how she'd let herself get distracted like that. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The fact he had even managed to get a hold of the object in her pocket was another matter entirely. Though she couldn't possibly believe he knew what to do with the artefact, which made it an even bigger waste and failure on her part. But based on the fact it had already been over sixty days since she'd seen him, the chances of encountering him were getting slimmer and slimmer with each passing day. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The only thing she knew about him was his name and his name was not an uncommon one. If she were to ask around the area where they first met, she'd probably be presented with more than one Samir. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>If there was one Elisabeth didn't believe in, it was luck. To her, luck was a matter of believing in something hard enough and then it would happen. As long as she kept her focus and actions on that which she wanted to happen, surely 'luck' would see it take place. But as luck would have it, she did not encounter the thief that day. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>::::::...::::::</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It wasn't until a week later that it would go her way. Elisabeth's father was leaving for Berlin once again. He was taking a small ship from Port Giza all the way up the Nile, until he'd reach Port Said and from there he continue his journey on a larger commuter ship to Europe. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Take care good care of your mother, Liesl." Ludwig said to his daughter as he kissed her on the cheek. His grand moustache tickled her skin. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Always, papa. You behave yourself out there." She looked at him firmly. </em>
</p>
<p><em>Her father let out a loud laugh. </em> <em>"Unglaublich. I shall have to find you a man to care for from now on." </em></p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth twitched her nose. "That is not funny. I do not need a man in my life. You are enough to deal with." She gave him one last hug and waved goodbye as he got onboard.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Tschüss, papa."</em>
</p>
<p><em>These journeys were always long and it would be</em> <em> a while before she'd hear from him again. </em> <em>But the feeling of missing her father vanished as she stood in the harbour waving goodbye to him. She spotted a slight familiar looking silhouette walking along the banks of the river. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>She wasn't a hundred percent sure if this was the same man who had mugged her a while ago, but it was a risk she couldn't let slip through her fingers. Without giving it a second thought Elisabeth left her mother behind, who was still waving goodbye to her husband. This felt like the only chance she was going to get to catch him and she wasn't going to miss it. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The closer she got towards the stranger, the more sure she felt that this was in fact the same guy. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He hadn't noticed her yet, walking absent-mindedly along the elevated edge near the water. Elisabeth was only a couple of feet away from him, but she'd seen enough to recognize him and that it was indeed Samir. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She hadn't considered at all how she was going to approach the situation, her mind was only focussed on finding and confronting him head on. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Samir." She said firmly and with confident, standing only inches away from him now. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The tall figure stopped, raised his head and turned around to look at whoever had just called out to him. His eyes widened when they landed on young woman in front of him. Her head tilted back, arms crossed and an angry gaze directed at him, he couldn't help but let out a huff of surprise. He knew who this was.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Zahrah. We meet again." He replied in Arabic. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The same words he'd spoken last he'd seen her. Though at the time he'd only meant them as a polite way to say goodbye. Samir never imagined he was going to see her again.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"You have something that belongs to me." Elisabeth narrowed her eyes. "I'd like it back."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The upper right corner of Samir's mouth twitched as he observed her closely. She was a pretty thing. Her skin light of colour, despite the fact she lived in Cairo, if he remembered correctly. But a lot of foreigners always hid themselves from the rays of the sun. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her hair was a golden light brown, which matched her complexion. But the part that called for attention the most were her eyes, like the Nile river, a greenish blue hue. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Samir bowed his head. "My apologies, Zahrah. If you could refresh my memory, what is it that you claim I have?" </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. He knew very well what she meant. Obviously he no longer had it, it was back safely where it belonged. But the girl was in no position to be told about that.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"You are a terrible liar, Samir." </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"It pleases me to see you remembered my name. I see I have made an impression on you." He flashed a broad smile.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth rolled her eyes. He was the same amount of annoying as he'd been the last time. Somehow she already knew this was pointless. It had been two month. The object was long gone by now. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The only good thing she could get out of this conversation was to put him back in his place and make sure he was never going to come between her and a deal ever again.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She uncrossed her arms and sighed. "Listen, I don't know why you chose to steal from me, but it is not appreciated. You seem like a smart man, too good to go down a path of thievery."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her Arabic was good, a slight accent, but only minor. It was clear to Samir now that she had been in Egypt for quite a long time. He looked up into the direction of the boat currently leaving port, before looking back at her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It was obvious she was trying to persuade him to agree with something, but the anger was still visible behind her eyes. All of a sudden he let out a laugh. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I'm sorry, do I amuse you?" Elisabeth arched her eyebrows, getting more irritated by the second. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"No, of course not. I am sorry." Samir cleared his throat. "You are right. Stealing is wrong, I know this. I assure you, it is not something I normally do, I had my reasons."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Reasons?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I needed money for medicine. My mother, she was sick. We do not live in the city. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,-"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Somehow Elisabeth did not believe that latter bit. But the first part sounded quite believable. "You thought I was an easy target, didn't you?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Samir shrugged. "Perhaps. As you can imagine, I no longer possess the item." </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She'd figured that out already. At least now she knew the reason behind his behaviour. One thing was for sure, she wasn't going to trust this guy and she hoped after this, she would never have to encounter him again. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"If you try to steal from me again, Samir. I will have to report you to the authorities." She threatened. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I swear, on my mother, I will not." He replied raising one of his hands and placing it on his heart.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>For a few seconds Elisabeth stared at him, gave a short nod and turned around to leave. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Samir one more time. "I hope your mother feels better." </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Samir watched as the young woman walked away all the way back towards the location where the boat departed from earlier. He pressed his lips in a tight line to stifle a chuckle, pleased she bought the lie. "Until next time, Zahrah.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1924</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Samir!" Ardeth yelled loudly after his younger brother. The unexpected action had caught him completely off guard. All he'd said, after having patted him on the shoulder was. <em>'Good luck, akhi.'</em></p>
<p>But Samir was already gone before he could stop him. What in Ra's name could have made him to run off like that? It wasn't until something passed Ardeth in a quick pace, a shimmer of red caught his eyes, that he realized what had caused his younger brother leave.</p>
<p>"Coward!" Elisabeth yelled in Arabic at Samir as she increased her speed.</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt."Ardeth said to her as she rushed by him.</p>
<p>"I'll be with you in a second, Chieftain Bay. First I have to kill your brother." She replied shortly.</p>
<p>Kill his brother? It wasn't uncommon for people to get angry with Samir. He was a free spirit and didn't always abide the rules. But he would always help the tribe, where the Medjai could not go.</p>
<p>He was Ardeth's eyes and ears. He did not understand where miss Borchardt anger came from, but he doubted she very much really wanted to kill Samir. He had to hurry after her before she'd vanished out of sight.</p>
<p>She was a swift one, not like his brother who was probably long gone by now. But Ardeth had to make a bit of an effort to keep her within his sights. Finally he caught up with her when she had to stop due to a cart passing right in front of her.</p>
<p>The Medjai reached out and placed his hand firmly on her shoulder. He could tell she was not pleased as she tried to pull herself free from his grasp.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid this cannot wait, Miss Borchardt." He said to her, making sure his hold was strong enough so she couldn't follow his brother's example of running off.</p>
<p>Elisabeth glanced up at him, her expression angry and her jaw clenched. Then she sighed and dropped her shoulders, indicating that she wasn't planning on walking away. Not that he would have let her, of course.</p>
<p>"My apologies, Chieftain Bay. That man and I have,- unfinished business." She told him.</p>
<p>"I believe you said you were going to kill him?" Ardeth furrowed his brow as Elisabeth cleared her throat.</p>
<p>"Figure of speech." She averted her eyes as her cheeks started to faintly change colour.</p>
<p>"I understand the feeling, but I'd prefer it if you won't." His mouth twitched slightly and he finally dropped his arm to let her go. "Now, as I mentioned earlier, we have more important matters to discuss. I'm sure you have a couple of questions?"</p>
<p>More than a couple. But yes, she did. At least now Elisabeth didn't have to go to the museum to ask the curator for help. She still had the distinct feeling Dr. Bey wasn't going to let the matter go regarding the public display of the 'fake' <em>Nefertiti</em> bust. Though something told her that this current problem of finding the American was higher on top of his list.</p>
<p>"Shall we head for my house?" Elisabeth suggested, but immediately the man shook his head.</p>
<p>"If it isn't any trouble, Miss Borchardt, I'd rather we go to the museum. I have a meeting with Dr. Terrence Bey later this afternoon." Ardeth then stared at her with surprise as Elisabeth let out a soft growl of frustration.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dealing with a Medjai</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1924</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Museum of Antiquities</strong>
</p>
<p>The statue of the goddess Sekhmet proudly gazed across the open square in front of the Egyptian museum. Positioned behind her was a tall obelisk, about twice the size of the lion deity. Although there was no sign of it at the moment, it was already planned that both statues of the goddess and the obelisk were to be removed to create space for a fountain. A large circular, made out of white marble, fountain with crystal blue water spouting from various smaller sculptures. They claimed that the structure was meant for locals and tourists alike, so there would be a place where one could enjoy the nice cool water in the heat of the sun. For tourists it might sound like something they would appreciate, but the locals were less enthusiastic.</p>
<p>Even now you'd find several stalls and people from the neighbourhood hanging around the square. But whether that was because they wanted to enjoy the current layout of the area before it vanished or to protest, Elisabeth could not tell. No matter how much the locals would object, the government always pulled through with their plans. Especially seeing as the square was already getting flooded more and more with tourists from across the globe.</p>
<p>Elisabeth followed Ardeth as they entered the museum. He walked in a hurried pace, ignoring everything and everyone around him. They went up a flight of stairs, turning a couple of corners until they reached what seemed like an abandoned hallway. The third door on the right was the one Ardeth stopped in front of. He opened it and motioned for Elisabeth to enter.</p>
<p>The room was small, but stacked to the brim with books and a collection of artefacts and statues. Why had he taken her here of all places instead of the curator's office, seeing as he did have an appointment with the man later on. Elisabeth let her eyes roam around the room until Ardeth shut the door behind him. There was but one window inside the room, but it lit the room more than enough for its size.</p>
<p>"Please." Ardeth said as he pointed his hand at one of the chairs near a table.</p>
<p>Elisabeth sat down and folded her hands together. This was it. The moment to ask every possible question she could think off to ask the Medjai. She reached for her bag and pulled out a small notepad and a pencil, ready to jot everything down. However, Ardeth did not sit down in one of the chairs. Instead he headed over to the wall next to her and leaned against it. Arms crossed and the same stern expression he'd had when she met him for the first time yesterday.</p>
<p>He stared at her for a couple of seconds and his gaze made her feel rather uncomfortable. She'd half expected him to initiate the conversation, but it seemed her assumption was wrong. It almost felt as if she was there for a job interview. Elisabeth cleared her throat and leaned forward.</p>
<p>"Thank you for allowing me to ask you a couple of questions." She began by giving him a small smile. "I'll get to the point as quick as possible."</p>
<p>Ardeth gave a brief nod. At least he was responsive. Funny how he 'd seemed more talkative earlier when she spotted him with Samir than he did this very moment. Now he was as silent as a mummy.</p>
<p>Elisabeth straightened herself and started with the most obvious question. "I'd like to know when you saw the American?"</p>
<p>"About a year ago."</p>
<p>"And where was this?"</p>
<p>"In the desert."</p>
<p>"Where exactly?"</p>
<p>"Somewhere far from civilization."</p>
<p>Good grief. His answers were short, to the point and at the same time evasive. If this was the way this entire interrogation was going to go, Elisabeth would surely be home before lunch. She had to stop herself from showing any visual expression of annoyance.</p>
<p>"You saw the American in the desert and immediately knew he was bad news?"</p>
<p>"We had watched him for a while."</p>
<p>The upper right corner of Ardeth's mouth twitched. Clearly he was giving her vague, yet some form of direct answer on purpose. Enough to satisfy, but insufficient to get the information she really needed.</p>
<p>"Chieftain Bay, if you want me to find this man, you must give me a little bit more than what you're currently telling me." She sighed. "Was the man alone?"</p>
<p>"He was alone when I last laid eyes on him." Ardeth answered.</p>
<p>Her patience was being tested still. She clenched her fists around the pencil and notepad she was holding in her lap. "And before that?"</p>
<p>"He was with the French Foreign Legion."</p>
<p>For the first time since their conversation had started, he'd said something that was possibly helpful. Quickly Elisabeth wrote it down. "They did not survive I take it?" She looked up at Ardeth who didn't seemed fazed by her question.</p>
<p>"None."</p>
<p>"Just the American."</p>
<p>Ardeth clenched his jaw. "Yes."</p>
<p>If she didn't know any better, it sounded like that was a sore spot for the man. After all, he was the last person who'd seen the American which was apparently almost a year ago somewhere in the desert. "How come the American made it out alive but none of the others did?"</p>
<p>Suddenly the Medjai's eyes narrowed themselves at her and he pursed his lips. "I fail to see how that is important. He is alive with something that does not belong to him."</p>
<p>A sore spot was touched indeed and Elisabeth was certain now that it was Ardeth's fault the American was still alive when he clearly should have died along with his fellow soldiers of the French Foreign Legion. But Ardeth was right, it honestly didn't matter how it was possible that the man was still alive. She wasn't going to inquire any further. Mostly because she probably wouldn't get more information out of him if she did. Not on the things she really wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Dr. Bey told me that the Medjai are guardians, who protect the world from the rise of evil. And the one you're currently guarding from the world, is a High Priest named Imhotep. Correct?"</p>
<p>Ardeth pushed himself away from the wall, his demeanour changing within an instant. "If Imhotep were to rise from the dead, the world will perish from dangers far beyond your wildest imagination." He said in a deep voice. "You are right. The Medjai are guardians and we are tasked with making sure that never happens."</p>
<p>Elisabeth followed his example and got out of her chair. "And the American was there, at the place where Imhotep lies buried?"</p>
<p>"You're asking me something you already know, miss Borchardt." Ardeth countered and the woman pressed her lips together.</p>
<p>"I know what it is you are after." He then added and Elisabeth cocked her head.</p>
<p>"Please, do tell?"</p>
<p>But instead of answering her question, he looked away. "No one is to know of the location where Imhotep is buried. That burden is only meant for the Medjai."</p>
<p><em>Burden?</em> Elisabeth closed her notepad and stuck the pencil behind her ear. "And the American also knows. No, I'm sorry, Ardeth, that was not meant as a provocation." She quickly added when she saw a look of anger cross his face.</p>
<p>"What I meant to say is finding this man is clearly important. I promise, to the best of my abilities, to help and find this man and the artefact he took from the site."</p>
<p>Ardeth eyed her quietly and took a deep breath. "Thank you. You will get compensated for your help, as per your request."</p>
<p>That latter part did not sound kind at all. Elisabeth knew Ardeth did not agree with the fact she wanted money for this. He valued honour and respect above anything else. But it was obvious she was not going to discover the location of the dead high priest through Ardeth. Which basically meant the conversation had turned pointless by now. The only hint she had was the French Foreign Legion, which was better than nothing.</p>
<p>"I guess there's nothing more for us to discuss." She said to him.</p>
<p>But Ardeth turned to her. "Actually there is something I would like to ask you, miss Borchardt." Was it her imagination or did his stern face suddenly slightly soften.</p>
<p>"It is about my brother, Samir. The one you were planning to murder? Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought you and him were,- friends?"</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1921</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>If there was one thing Elisabeth did not have in Egypt, it was a friend. At least not someone close to her own age. Aside from the fact that she couldn't attend school due to the war breaking out, she also was never around any people her age. Her mother did not really converse with the locals, her Arabic was as rubbish as Menna's English was. Unfortunately, Menna didn't have any children nor a husband, which was probably why she treated Elisabeth as a daughter. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>At the age of twenty-one, you'd think one would have some circle of friends. But when it came down to it, Elisabeth wasn't all that great at socializing with others. Sure, she knew how to speak properly and how to behave in the presence of important people. But really all she did was observe and copy behaviour from others.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The only time she had the chance of making a sort of friend, was after the war had ended in 1918, and new neighbours began to move into the neighbourhood. Various people, but still mostly English or French due to the British occupation. Couples or families. Some old, some young. One family in particular, an Egyptologist no less, who</em>
  <em> had a son and daughter around Elisabeth's age.</em>
  <em> Unfortunately for her, the girl went off to study in Luxor. Leaving only the brother, who was about nine years older than his sister, behind. But she never saw him, except sometimes late at night stumbling around his house which stood at the far end of the street. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>No, Elisabeth did not really have any friends. Acquaintances, sure. But friends was quite an unfamiliar concept. </em>
  <em>In the end it was only for the better. In her line of work, her real work, having friends was something she could not use. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Currently she was walking around Cairo, this time not looking for anything in particular. Yesterday her mother received a letter from her father, saying he was to come back soon. It had been over six months since she'd said goodbye to him at Giza port. There was no telling how long he planned on staying in Cairo this time. Ever since he'd found that blasted statue and took the fake bust back to Berlin, he kept going back and forth between Egypt and Germany. Somehow it seemed this whole Nefertiti business was more important to him than making any further discoveries. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth rounded a corner, ready to enter the market area, when someone bumped into her causing her to fall sideways. It would have been fine if she'd landed on the ground, or against somebody else. But that was not what she fell into to. A loud splash sounded and something wet and cool covered her entire body. As quickly as possible the girl placed her hands on the mosaic flooring and pushed herself up until her head surfaced from the plaza's fountain. She took a deep breath of air and coughed loudly. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>When she looked up she was met by a pair of dark eyes. Eyes which she knew, but hadn't seen for a long time. Eyes belonging to someone she'd honestly hoped never to see again. Samir the thief.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"You!" She hissed through her teeth.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Zahrah!" The young man exclaimed with a broad smile. "It has been a while. Here, let me help you." He</em>
  <em> extended his hand towards her, but w</em>
  <em>ith one swift motion she slapped it away. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I cannot believe you pushed me into a fountain!" Elisabeth said as she tried to get up. Unfortunately the tiles beneath her was slippery and soon she fell backwards once again. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A loud splash came from her left as Samir jumped into the water. "Hold on, miss, I'll save you." </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She felt his hands underneath her arms as he pulled her up. "Let go off me!" She yelled, but Samir turned out to be stronger than she initially thought he would be, as he managed to lift her without any effort on her part. She held on to him for support as he steadied her on her feet. Her vision obscured by her wet hair covering the front of her face. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Don't worry, I got her!" Samir shouted as the sound of clapping filled the area. Elisabeth</em>
  <em> swooped her golden brown tresses out of her eyes to glare at the man with absolute fury. But it was then that she noticed the amount of people standing next to the fountain. Mainly street vendors and older women with bags filled with vegetables and fruit. </em>
  <em>All she could do was stare at everyone in confusion. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A couple of the women began to cheer and a few of the men </em>
  <em>patted Samir on his back as he guided Elisabeth out of the water and onto the pavement. The entire situation was turning in some sort of display. A heroic rescue mission, with Samir being the hero and Elisabeth the damsel.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Please, please,-" He said with modesty as he tightly kept a hold on her arms. As soon as the drama had begun it also ended and Samir pulled Elisabeth with him into a nearby narrow street.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Phew." He exclaimed the moment they were out of sight from the plaza. Samir turned his head to the woman and at the sight of her angry expression released her from his grasp. "Sorry, about that."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Sorry?!" Elisabeth bared her teeth like a wild cat, ready to kill its prey. "Look at me, I'm soaked." </em>
</p>
<p><em>Samir pressed his lips in a tight line to stifle a laugh. The girl was indeed completely soaked. Her hair stuck to her face and shoulders, her white blouse clung to her body like a second skin, showing the dark shape of an undergarment. She reminded him of the sand cats which roamed around their village in the desert from time to time. Light of skin, big green blue eyes, and</em> <em>rather </em><em>boisterous when approached. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>"You'll dry up in soon, this is Egypt after all. But now that I have found you, I could use your help with something,-"<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth's jaw practically dropped to the floor. "Excuse me? Help you? You just pushed me into the plaza's fountain!"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Samir raised his hands in defence. "I believe the term is bumped, but I do apologize, I didn't mean for you to fall into the water. That was not my intention."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>This boy was unbelievable. He'd delibertly bumped into her for whatever reason, caused her to fall and get completely soaked in front of several locals and then made it seem as if he was saving her from immediate death. She should have pushed him into the Nile six months ago when she had the chance.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Well, good to know you bumping into me had some form of purpose. Just, remind me, why should I help you in the first place?" She replied sarcastically, wondering if her annoyance even came across in Arabic.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"</em>
  <em>Think of it as a thank you for saving you from drowning in that fountain."</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Cairo, Egypt - 1924</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>If Ardeth didn't know any better he'd assumed to have made some sort of joke, judging by the look Elisabeth Borchardt was currently giving him. He had to admit to be quite surprised when she referred to Samir as his brother. He wondered how she knew about that. After all, his younger brother was forbidden to reveal the names of his family members or the tribe he was born into. Despite his brother's antics and free spirit, he doubted Samir would break those rules. That hadn't stopped him from telling Ardeth about her. Although to be honest, he never referred to her as Elisabeth when mentioning her. He always called her Zahrah.</p>
<p>"Friends? Samir and I?" Elisabeth furrowed her brow.</p>
<p>"You have helped him out at times, or so I have been told." Ardeth continued.</p>
<p>The woman shrugged. "That means he thinks I am his friend, not the other way around. He's given me more trouble than a friendship should bring." An honest answer, but Ardeth speculated there must be some part of Elisabeth that liked Samir more than she was willing to admit.</p>
<p>There was the slight matter of discovering how much his younger brother had told her about his family. The fact that she knew they were brothers wasn't really a problem, but Ardeth had to make sure not too much had been told about their tribe. Though Elisabeth had agreed on helping the Medjai, there were some things Ardeth knew about the woman and that resulted in not trusting her enough with certain bits of information.</p>
<p>"Did Samir tell you we are brothers?" He asked her.</p>
<p>"No. I mean, I knew he had an older brother, he mentioned you a lot. But he never gave me a name or a description." Elisabeth answered.</p>
<p>Her words pleased him as they appeared to be sincere. His brother had apparently honoured the code regarding the Medjai rules for all the years that he'd known the girl. Though Ardeth had to admit that he was curious how Elisabeth had deduced the fact that they were brothers. He also wondered what other kind of things Samir had told her about him.</p>
<p>"Then who told you about it?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth's cheeks reddened ever so slightly, almost as if she was embarrassed by it. "It was a hunch, really. You mentioned Samir yesterday in the curator's office and then when I got a good look at your features, I immediately noticed the family resemblance. But seeing the two of you together this morning, and you not denying the fact you are brothers, gave all the confirmation I needed."</p>
<p>An discreet way to figure something out without directly asking others for confirmation. <em>Clever.</em> "I suppose Samir and I do have a lot of physical similarities between us. You also said that he mentioned having a brother a lot of the time. Was there anything specific?"</p>
<p>The woman averted her gaze, her face still flushed. She couldn't very well tell him all the things Samir had told her about Ardeth. Mainly because they weren't exactly kind words, almost ninety percent of the time they were just complaints about the man. Elisabeth placed her hands behind her back, she had to be tactful.</p>
<p>"Nothing in particular. You know how siblings can be when talking about an older brother or sister,-"</p>
<p>Ardeth frowned at the strange answer she'd given him. "I don't think I understand."</p>
<p>But the Medjai didn't get a chance to ask her anything else, as a knock sounded from the door.</p>
<p>Without waiting for a reply, the door flung open revealing Dr. Terence Bay. He frowned at the two people standing in front of each other inside the small room filled with books and various artefacts. Although he didn't seem too surprised to find them there, he still coughed in an apologetic manner.</p>
<p>"I thought I'd find you here, Ardeth. Though I must admit to be a bit surprised to see Miss Borchardt here with you. I thought you'd already spoken with her last night?" The bald headed man asked with an arched eyebrow.</p>
<p>Elisabeth frowned at him. "Last night?"</p>
<p>Ardeth quickly cleared his throat. "Considering the time, I thought it best to postpone it to today." The Medjai explained, his words directed at Dr. Bey.</p>
<p>The curator nodded. "Understandable."</p>
<p>His eyes landed on the red shawl draped around Elisabeth's arms. "I see you did manage to return her accessories. You left them in my office yesterday." Dr. Bey added as he looked back up.</p>
<p>It took a second for Elisabeth to register what the man had just said to her. She glanced down at her arms before staring in Ardeth's direction. It was true she had left the shawls in Dr. Bey's office yesterday. She'd been so angry after discovering Samir's treachery, that she left the garments behind on purpose. He was the one who had picked them out after all.</p>
<p>"So I did." Elisabeth replied as she narrowed her eyes at the tall tattooed man next to her, who seemed to be ignoring her on purpose.</p>
<p>"Glad that it's settled. Now, I'm sure you've got things to do, Miss Borchardt. But please, do not hesitate to come by the moment you find any information on the American. No matter how small the detail." Dr. Bey gave her a short smile before turning his attention back to Ardeth. The Medjai nodded at the older man and bade farewell to Elisabeth.</p>
<p>The woman watched quietly as the two men walked out of the chamber. Oh, she had things to do alright. But right now she was feeling rather confused regarding Dr. Bey's comment about her shawl. Did he say that Ardeth had taken them with him to give back to her? And that the moment for when that happened was somewhere last night?</p>
<p>Considering the fact Elisabeth had found both the purple and red garments behind her on her father's chair this morning was proof enough that the Medjai Chief had done so.</p>
<p>That meant that Ardeth had been at her house yesterday evening. But she'd never seen him and she'd been in her father's study the entire night. Perhaps it was Menna who took the shawls from him? But the former nanny hadn't even known about Elisabeth sleeping there until today, which automatically dismissed that option. The other alternative was one she did not want to think of.</p>
<p>Elisabeth quickly made her way out of the museum. The red shawl pulled closely around her body as if to hide her shame for what might have happened last night. The young woman honestly hoped it was not true. To think that Samir's older brother might have found her sleeping in a window sill and with her chest exposed. She had not felt this embarrassed in a long time.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Early mornings and evening strolls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The water was warm and gentle. The scent of salt floating on a soft breeze. The sun peeked above the horizon, golden streaks awakening the upcoming dawn. Elisabeth took a deep breath in and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>She loved the ocean. Perhaps because it reminded her so much of herself. Calm and serene but also fierce and rough like a storm. After all, weren't the most innocent faces often the wildest? A hidden facade to the outside world.</p>
<p>It was no secret she preferred the coasts of Egypt over anything else. The Nile had its charm and she loved to dip her feet into the sweet flowing river of blueish green. But nothing compared to the ocean. Where gulls flew, fish jumped, and the sound of crashing waves always calmed her mind and soul.</p>
<p>If she could stay there with her feet wading through the water and heels and toes pressed down into the sand, she would.</p>
<p>Unfortunately she was not here for pleasantries. The day was about to begin and she had work to do. Elisabeth stepped back from the shoreline, her heart feeling heavy for a second as she slowly made her way back to the streets of Alexandria.</p>
<p>The French Foreign Legion was the next step of her quest in finding the American. It was the only lead she had deemed worthy so far and she hoped it would prove to be fruitful. How much the <em>Légion étrangère </em>would be willing to share with her, she did not know. The picture she carried with her was all she had to show them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The building was much smaller than she'd expected it to be. The ground floor windows were knife shaped and mostly obstructed by tall standing palm trees. As impressive as Elisabeth hoped the Legion office would be, it felt to meet the image she'd conjured up in her mind. To make sure she was standing in front of the right building, she double checked the address written down on a piece of paper. She tucked it back in her bag, stood up straight and entered the building with confident tread.</p>
<p>In the centre of the lobby stood a large dark mahogany den desk. A sign on the left, written in French, English and Arabic, revealed it to be information services. Elisabeth walked over the the young man occupying the seat behind it. With his body slumped over a stack of papers, he did not acknowledge the woman standing there.</p>
<p>She waited about twenty seconds and by the time she counted thirty, it was clear nothing was going to happen until she would announce her presence herself. Loudly Elisabeth cleared her throat causing the boy to look up with a startled expression.</p>
<p>Apparently he really had not noticed her standing there. He quickly gathered himself and bobbed his head in a polite manner before standing up, smiling shyly at her. "Mademoiselle."</p>
<p>His dark blond hair was a messy mop and clung to his face from the humidity. Now that she got a good look at him, he couldn't be much older than she was.</p>
<p>"Bonjour." She replied giving him a comforting smile.</p>
<p>"Can I help you with something, ma'am?" He asked her.</p>
<p>"Yes, I certainly hope so." Elisabeth answered as she placed her hands on the desk and leaned slightly forward. "I am looking for Colonel Paul-Frederic Rollet."</p>
<p>The boy cocked his head and frowned at her. "Colonel Rollet is not expecting anybody at the moment. Might I ask who you are?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth gasped and placed her hand in front of her mouth. "Toutes mes excuses, officer. My name is Lillian Beaufort."</p>
<p>Using her best French accent, courtesy of her mother whose pronunciation she'd copied and perfected over the years, hoping to convince the man in front of her of her ethnicity.</p>
<p>Though he still eyed her sceptically, it seemed he bought it and told her to wait there for him. As he vanished from sight, Elisabeth let out a deep breath. Using her French name was one of the better cards to play nowadays. Especially considering she was standing inside a temporary office of the <em>Légion étrangère. </em>Using her birth name, which was of German origin, never got her anywhere nowadays.</p>
<p>It didn't take long for the young man to return, only this time he wasn't alone. There was no doubt in her mind that the man walking behind him was someone of high command. You could always tell by the way a person carried themself if they were of significant importance.</p>
<p>They halted a couple of feet in front of her. The boy raised his hand to his head and clicked his heels together before crawling back behind his desk.</p>
<p>"Madam Lillian Beaufort. Allow me to introduce myself, Colonel Paul-Frederic." He gave a short bow. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"</p>
<p>Something told her that the only reason why he had bothered to come out of his office was to see why a woman was asking for him. Not that it mattered. Being a woman worked in her benefit when it came to moments such as these. It was how she managed to get the information she required on most occasions and this one would not be any different.</p>
<p>Despite disliking the look he was currently giving her, she wasn't going to pass up on this opportunity.</p>
<p>"Please, Colonel, the pleasure is all mine. However, I am indeed in need of your help." Elisabeth paused and reached for the photograph stowed away in her bag. She held it out to him and the Colonel took it with a slight frown.</p>
<p>The man had one of the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen before in her life. His dark brow beard was long and his moustache twirled upwards in a curl. Although the Colonel must be near his fifties, he was quite dapper looking for his age.</p>
<p>"I am searching for the man in that photograph. Do you perhaps recognize him?" She eyed him with a hopeful look and bit her bottom lip.</p>
<p>Paul-Frederic glanced up and hummed together for a second. "He was with the Legion?" He then asked.</p>
<p>"Yes, I believe so. He is an American."</p>
<p>At the word <em>American</em> the Colonel's eyes diverted for a second. "We get a lot of good men from all over the world, Madam. But it is true that not many of them are American, at least not stationed in this part of Africa. You said you are looking for him?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth nodded. "It has been a year since this man was last seen. I have it on good authority that he got lost somewhere in the Egyptian desert. I'm trying to find out where his mission was leading him. Perhaps that ought to give me the chance to find him myself."</p>
<p>His brow stayed in a frown as he looked at the picture once more. "I am afraid that I cannot divulge any information on that subject, unless you yourself are a member of his garrison." He chuckled, knowing fully well that this was not possible. Women were not allowed into the <em>Légion étrangère. </em></p>
<p>"You might have better luck with the people he was with,-"</p>
<p>He handed her the picture back, but Elisabeth shook her head. "Actually, it would seem that those people are also still missing."</p>
<p>"Excusez moi?"</p>
<p>The man behind the desk suddenly cleared his throat. "Sir, perhaps I can help,-"</p>
<p>"Taizes vous!" The Colonel shouted at him to be quiet. He turned his head back to Elisabeth and looked at her without any emotion.</p>
<p>"I am afraid your search ends here, Madam. I do not know this man. We are but a small office as you can see. Not here to keep tabs on disappearing garrisons. I suggest you either go all the way to Algeria and ask for more information there or simply give up the search. If this man really got lost in the desert, I doubt he is still alive as well as his fellow soldiers." With that said the Colonel turned on his heels and walked out of the lobby back to his office.</p>
<p>Elisabeth bent down to pick up the photograph he had dropped on the stone floor. <em>Verdammt</em>. Damn. It was a long shot to come here, she knew that. But the way the old goat had shot her down actually hurt her pride a little bit.</p>
<p>Just as she was about to stand up somebody else approached her. Elisabeth looked up at the face of the dark blond man from the information desk. He offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted.</p>
<p>"Might I see the picture?"</p>
<p>She stared at him with surprise and quickly handed him the photograph. "What is your name?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Luc, Luc Bonnet." He answered.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Luc." Elisabeth smiled at him.</p>
<p>His eyes roamed over the photograph for a couple of seconds. Could it be that he knew the American? If that was the case that would make this journey more than worthwhile. If it all went well then she would be able to travel back to Cairo tomorrow early in the morning.</p>
<p>Finally Luc looked up. "You said he went missing somewhere in the desert last year?"</p>
<p>"Yes. I didn't get the chance to tell the Colonel, but I care very much about this man." She glanced over her shoulder and stepped closer towards Luc. "I will do anything to find him."</p>
<p>Just as she thought the man was about to help her out, he narrowed his eyes at her with scepticism. "What is his name?"</p>
<p>This was a question she knew might get asked. It was a well-known fact that people who joined the French Foreign Legion are recruited with a newly given identity. But after the first year you are allowed to change back to what it was before you entered. Now Elisabeth could give Luc a fake name and hope he would buy her story. Whatever the outcome, she had to take the chance.</p>
<p>Elisabeth giggled coyly. "To be honest, I don't know if the legion is familiar with his real name?"</p>
<p>"Which is?"</p>
<p>"John Miller." It sounded like it could be a valid name. But the only way to convince someone else, was to sound confident as if you have known the piece of information for years.</p>
<p>She heard Luc sigh and tried to catch his eyes to be able to tell if he'd bought it. Thankfully he gave a short nod and handed her the photograph back. "Meet me tonight at the entrance of the port. Sunset. I don't know much, but I will tell you what I know."</p>
<p>Elisabeth smiled and placed her hand on his for a second, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Luc Bonnet."</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sky had turned into a dark shade of purple on the horizon. Waves crashing against the boats resting in the port. Only this time the ocean could not calm her nerves. Elisabeth fidgeted her fingers behind her back as she stood at the entrance of the port waiting for Luc Bonnet.</p>
<p>It was a rather peculiar place to meet up, but at least there was a slight crowd of tourists walking around. She was curious as to what he had to tell her and how much he actually knew about the American. He told her he didn't have a lot to tell her, but anything was better than nothing. Elisabeth cursed herself after leaving the <em>Légion étrangère. </em></p>
<p>If she'd asked Luc earlier, she wouldn't have had to deal with Paul-Frederic Rollet. The less people she involved in finding this man, the better.</p>
<p>"Miss Beaufort?"</p>
<p><em>Showtime</em>. Elisabeth conjured up a smile before turning around to greet Luc Bonnet. His hair was less messier than this morning, he was still in uniform but held his kepi pressed between his ribs and left arm.</p>
<p>"Good evening, Officer Bonnet. I was worried you wouldn't show up." She told him. "I really appreciate you taking the time to help me."</p>
<p>The upper right corner of Luc's mouth twitched. "My father taught me to always help a lady in distress. Considering you seem desperate to find this man, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't help you in any way that I can."</p>
<p>"And for that you have my gratitude." Elisabeth bowed her head slightly. She was laying it on thick today, but it appeared that the more she buttered up to Luc Bonnet, the more the man was willing to share with her.</p>
<p>"As I told you earlier, Miss Beaufort, the knowledge that I have regarding your friend is not much. But it might be helpful,-" He then paused and let out a soft chuckle. "If you believe in superstition that is."</p>
<p>An odd choice of word to use, <em>superstition</em>, and Elisabeth frowned at Luc. "Whatever do you mean?"</p>
<p>"Well,- The garrison I think you might be referring to, made a short stop at our settlement last year. They'd come from Libya and were on their way to a location somewhere into the direction of Minya, though I am not entirely sure about that."</p>
<p>Minya was about two to three days from Cairo with a caravan group. But Elisabeth did not believe for one second that the burial site of High Priest Imhotep would be that close to civilization. She honestly hoped Luc had more to tell her than this.</p>
<p>"That city does not sound very mythical to me, Officer Bonnet. If I may be so blunt."</p>
<p>"Ah, that is because I still have to get to that part. However,-" For a second he looked around the two of them. He stepped closer to her and placed his free hand on her arm, lowering his voice. "It is best if we speak somewhere more secluded of this."</p>
<p>Her skin tingled all of a sudden. A warning sign not to trust this man completely, no matter how innocent he looked. Her eyes wandered towards the ocean on her left, which had suddenly grown more restless. The purple streaks of the setting sun were now completely gone. Elisabeth moved her right foot and could feel the cold steel of a knife she'd hidden on the inside of her boot.</p>
<p>"Of course. Please, I am willing to hear everything you have to tell me." She replied.</p>
<p>The smirk on Luc's face was slightly unsettling and Elisabeth made a mental note to choose the place of conversation next time, as she usually did in Cairo. The Frenchman guided her to a more secluded part of the port, not too far from the entrance but still more hidden away for passers-by to notice.</p>
<p>They came to a stop and before continuing their conversation, Luc glanced over his shoulder one last time. Almost as if he thought somebody was following him. He set his kepi down on the floor and grabbed hold of Elisabeth's arms as he stood back up.</p>
<p>"How much do you know of Egyptian mythology?" He asked, his tone serious.</p>
<p>"More than I'd like,-" She replied with a frown, not really caring for the way he was pinning her arms against her sides. "Why?"</p>
<p>Luc licked his lips. "Have you ever heard of,- Hamunaptra?"</p>
<p><em>Hamunaptra. </em>She knew that name. Menna told her stories about many places and the City of the Dead was one of the places she used as a threat whenever Elisabeth tried to stall her bedtime as a child. Then all of a sudden it clicked. As if struck by lightning, a jolt ran through her body and the woman gasped out loud.</p>
<p>The rumour she had heard a while ago regarding a garrison belonging to the <em>Légion étrangère,</em> that supposedly went missing during their discovery of the City of the Dead. Could that be the very same garrison the guy she was looking for belonged to? If there was one thing Elisabeth did not believe in, it was coincidences.</p>
<p>It all made sense now why her father presumably met with the American. The man might know the location of the City of the Dead. Hamunaptra. Which automatically meant,- Her eyes widened. "The burial place of Imhotep."</p>
<p>The place Ardeth Bay and his Medjai protected with everything they could within their power. Although not with everything, because Elisabeth would not be here if they'd actually managed to do so.</p>
<p>"What?" Luc asked having missed her whispers.</p>
<p>"Officer Bonnet, do you know the name my dearest friend used in the legion?"</p>
<p>The young man cocked his head and squinted his eyes. "No, I do not. But are you not at all surprised about this? Do you actually believe what I told you?"</p>
<p>But there was not a doubt in Elisabeth's mind. She was certain of one thing and that was that Luc Bonnet was not lying to her about that. No matter how unreal or insane it might seem, she honestly did believe the rumour and she had Ardeth Bay to thank for that.</p>
<p>The Chieftain as well as the curator both had told her about Imhotep. How the Medjai were tasked with protecting the world from the rise of evil. However, it was Ardeth who made it clear to her that the High Priest's burial site must never be discovered.</p>
<p>
  <em>"No one is to know of the location where Imhotep is buried. That burden is only meant for the Medjai.</em>
</p>
<p>What better place to hide a man of pure evil than in one of the most dangerous mythological places known in Egypt. <em>Hamunaptra.</em></p>
<p>"Perhaps, but you have given me very useful information and for that I thank you." Elisabeth smiled broadly at him and pecked him quickly on the cheek.</p>
<p>Stunned and slightly flushed, Luc Bonnet looked at her. Then his expression suddenly changed, as if he had just made one of the biggest mistakes in his life. He tightened his hold on Elisabeth's arms and leaned in closer. "You seem awfully happy about my words. I think I deserve a bit more than a simple thank you, don't you think?"</p>
<p>Uh,oh. The woman recognized that look. It was her own fault for not keeping her distance. You'd think after all these years she would be a bit more careful when dealing with eager young officers. "We could go to the hotel I'm staying at, if you'd like?" She suggested biting her bottom lip.</p>
<p>But it appeared Luc did not care about a hotel. He practically smashed her against the wall behind her, causing Elisabeth to let out a loud yelp. He pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the bricks. There was no way she would be able to reach for her knife now and she started to slowly panic.</p>
<p>"Luc, you're hurting me,-" She breathed trying to wiggle free from underneath him. He was definitely stronger than she gave him credit for.</p>
<p>His breath was warm and his mouth let out a moan next to her ear. Next thing she knew something wet touched her skin as his traced the shape of her neck with his tongue. A shiver ran up her spine. She had to push him away from her somehow. Elisabeth tried to move her legs, a knee kick in the groin was always a good idea to fend a man off. Unfortunately Luc's own legs were situated between hers, making it impossible for her to get into the correct position to hurt him.</p>
<p><em>"Sa'dony!"</em> She yelled out loud, her voice hitched in her throat. "<em>Sa'dony</em>!"</p>
<p>Luc pulled back, let out a low and eerie chuckle before hovering towards her mouth. More than ready to silence her screams, when Elisabeth noticed a dark silhouette appear right behind him. The man lifted his hand and hit the officer on the back of his head with something heavy. Luc Bonnet let out a grunt and hit the ground sideways.</p>
<p>"<em>Mein Gott,-</em>" Elisabeth's chest heaved up and down and she stumbled away from Luc's now motionless body.</p>
<p>She glanced up at the tall stranger who had very well just saved her from being assaulted. He was clad in a long black robe accompanied by a turban. His face was covered, the only part visible were his dark eyes.</p>
<p>"Ardeth?" Elisabeth couldn't believe it, what was the Medjai doing there? More importantly how did he even know she was in Alexandria?</p>
<p>He huffed before removing the cloth obscuring his nose and mouth and smirked at her mischievously. "Hello, Zahrah."</p>
<p>Her jaw dropped. It wasn't Ardeth who had come to her rescue, it was his younger brother and her sometimes friend. "Samir."</p>
<p>"I'll let <em>Akhi</em> know he was the first one that came to your mind when seeing me." The man replied.</p>
<p>"If that was a joke, it is not funny." Elisabeth retorted.</p>
<p>Samir made a face. "I agree with you. I actually feel insulted , if you must know."</p>
<p>His eyes moved towards the young man on the ground. "I see I came just in time."</p>
<p>It was not that she wasn't happy to see him, even more so because he'd just saved her. No, what she wondered most of all was what he was doing there. How did this man always seem to pop up at the most unexpected times? She wasn't even in Cairo for goodness sake.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here, Samir?"</p>
<p>"Do I not get a thank you?" He arched an eyebrow.</p>
<p>Elisabeth let out a quiet laugh, "I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you." She felt his body relax against hers for a second, before gently pushing her back.</p>
<p>"Now, to answer your question. I am here to obviously keep an eye on you."</p>
<p>It didn't come to her as a surprise. Samir had the habit of doing so. She learned that thanks to Ardeth and the curator two days ago. Which was also the reason why she wanted to murder him up until recently.</p>
<p>"And under whose orders are you to keep tabs on me?" She asked.</p>
<p>Samir raised his hand, holding up three of his fingers. "I shall give you three guesses, but based on who you mistook me for, you'll probably only need one,-"</p>
<p>Elisabeth rolled her eyes and did not even bother to pronounce the name of the Medjai Chieftain.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Friend or foe?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Somewhere on the river Nile, Egypt, 1924</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>It was clear that the Medjai Chieftain had no faith in her whatsoever or perhaps he was simply afraid what she would discover on her own. Matters that him and his group of protectors had failed to figure out for themselves. Though technically she was no closer to knowing the identity of the American, she did learn a thing or two, with no thanks to Ardeth Bay.</p><p>Elisabeth was convinced that the group of French legionnaires who vanished last year, was the very same to which the man she was searching for belonged to. Now all she had to do was get back to the house and locate Ludwig Borchardt's journals regarding mythical places.</p><p>Perhaps she'd even have luck with journals regarding the area around Minya, the place the legionnaires had apparently travelled towards. Thankfully she had more than one lead to go by this time.</p><p>She threw a quick glance at the man standing next to her on the deck of a small boat which was to take them back to Cairo. Samir had come to her rescue last night on the beach of Alexandria. Though the woman was positive she would have been able to get out of the assault on her own at some point, at least this way there had been no need for bloodshed.</p><p>There was no doubt that Luc Bonnet was already awake by now and unsure of what had happened to him. The chances of him alerting Colonel Paul-Frederic or any other superior authority about it was slim. To be humiliated by a woman would only hurt his pride and make him a laughing stock amongst his fellow officers.</p><p>"You're upset." Samir suddenly stated catching her looking at him.</p><p>They hadn't really discussed the events of last night or what it was exactly that Elisabeth had discovered through the <em>L</em><em>égion étrangère.</em> But that hadn't stopped Samir from staying with her throughout the remainder of the night until early morning came and it was time to leave the city.</p><p>"Yes." Elisabeth replied, there was no need in denying her emotions.</p><p>The Medjai turned her way and chose his next words carefully. "You did not discover what you wanted?"</p><p>A small smile appeared on the woman's face. "Not really," She lied. "But that is not why I am upset."</p><p>Samir frowned and for a moment thought that the attack from that legionnaire was the reason why his female friend was troubled. Truthfully it had scared him slightly. It wasn't the first time he'd found her in a similar situation like that, only the last time she had been more than capable to get out of it herself. She'd even saved his life that time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>::::::...::::::</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>Giza, Egypt, 1921</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>All she had to do was get information on where they were planning on taking the canopic jars, though whose supposed remains they carried Samir could not tell her. The man Elisabeth was meant to follow was currently sitting at one of the tables in the Casbah playing a game of poker. He was joined by one other gentleman who seemed to be having the upper hand in the game.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"All I need to know is whether or not he has the jars and if so, where he is planning on taking them." He'd told her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Remind me what's in it for me again?" Elisabeth whispered to him as she watched one of the men angrily slam his fist on the table. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do I really have to say it?" Samir complained but the girl threw him a look and he complied. "That I will never bother you again."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wunderbar. Now, I'll see you later." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Clad in a long red dress, Elisabeth made her way to the table and stopped a couple of feet behind the man who appeared to be winning this round. She quietly glanced over his shoulder at his cards and back at the ones lying on the table. It was clear this guy had been bluffing. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>She looked back up and caught the eye from one of the men across from her. He didn't say anything, but his arched eyebrow indicated that he'd definitely noticed what she was doing. Elisabeth took one step back and made a signal indicating the guy she was standing behind was bluffing. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The arched brow turned into a surprised frown. He moved in his seat and placed a higher amount of money into the pot. This caused the apparent winner to suddenly jolt upright in his chair. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elisabeth walked away from the table and threw one last look over her shoulder before sitting down alone at another table. There was no need to draw more attention to herself, she was certain the bluffer was going to lose which meant the other guy would surely head over to her as soon as the round was over. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It took about two minutes until her prediction came true. The man she was to get information from stood up from the table with his winnings as the loser threw his cards onto the table and cursed loudly. Elisabeth grinned and pretended to take a sip from her drink as the guy she'd signalled to earlier was heading her way.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>He wasn't a tall man, but muscular none the less. His blond hair reached his shoulders and his eyes were a shade of light blue. He bowed his head slightly as he reached her table. "I thank you for your help. Might I join you for a drink?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Please,-" Elisabeth motioned at the seat across from her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My name is Hans. Hans Harrer." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The reason why Samir had asked for her help, aside from the fact he hardly spoke any English let alone German, he was convinced she'd have more luck as a woman than he did as an Egyptian man with obtaining the information he needed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Liesl Heckmeir." She replied extending her hand. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hans shook it but didn't let go. "Du bist Deutscher?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elisabeth smiled. "Ja."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was as easy as taking a piece of fruit from a crowded marketplace. The two of them talked for only half an hour in which the man had bragged not only about the canopic jars but also about a necklace and a few other trinkets he'd taken from one of the dig sites near Giza's pyramids. She soon find out that he kept the jars in a trunk in his hotel room and he was planning on taking the jars to München, Germany. Unless somebody would come along with a higher price. </em>
</p><p><em>Daringly, Elisabeth asked if Hans was willing to show her the jars. He was reluctant at first, but after a gentle touch and squeeze on his arm, he extended his hand towards her and guided her towards the room he was renting. </em> <em>She glanced over her shoulder a couple of times to see if perhaps Samir was following them. But she couldn't see him anywhere.<br/></em></p><p>
  <em>Hans halted in front of the door leading to his room. He turned to Elisabeth and cleared his throat. "Wait here." He told her before slipping inside leaving her behind in the hallway.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>That was odd. Elisabeth waited quietly until a loud bang, like gunshot went off inside the room. Without hesitating she pushed the door open and headed inside. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There was a man lying on the floor, his hands raised in a defensive manner. Hans hovered above him, his arm raised and a gun pointed at the stranger on the ground, but Elisabeth recognized him immediately. It was Samir.<br/></em>
</p><p><em>"Dirty thief!" Hans exclaimed in German as he spat unto the floor. </em> <em>The trunk which stood at the end of the bed had been opened and three of the four jars were on the floor in front of it. </em></p><p>
  <em>Another click sounded, Elisabeth jumped forward and grabbed one of the canopic jars.</em>
</p><p><em>With one big swoop she hit Hans on the head. A cloud of ashes exploded covering the German and herself in a curtain of grey. He fell to the ground and a bright red spot appeared through his blonde hair. </em> <em>She breathed heavily both hoping nobody had heard that gun shot go off and that she hadn't accidentally killed Hans by clobbering him on the back of his head.</em></p><p><em>"Ya Rab,-" Samir</em> <em> breathed as he looked up at the woman, both surprised and relieved. She might have just very well saved his life.<br/></em></p><p>
  <em>"What are you doing here?" Elisabeth asked him as she offered him her hand to help him up. "I thought you were going to wait for me outside?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That was the plan he had told her, but actually Samir had intended from the very start to use Elisabeth as a distraction so he could locate the German's room, get inside and take back the stolen canopic jars. He'd be a fool to tell her the truth he'd been using her from the beginning. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you for saving me." He said to her instead, words he actually did mean. If it hadn't been for her, the man would have pulled the trigger and shot him through the heart. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're hurt." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Samir glanced down at his right arm and noticed a tear in his linen shirt. Blood trickled down his arm, creating a long trail of dark red through the fabric. Perhaps after tonight he was going to keep his promise to the golden haired woman and stay out of her way forever.</em>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>::::::...::::::</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps I should tell Ardeth to release you from the agreement and let him search for the American himself." Samir suggested.</p><p>Immediately Elisabeth turned in his direction. She vigorously shook her head. "Please don't. If you must know, it is your <em>akhi </em>I'm upset with."</p><p>She didn't even have to tell him why she felt this way about his brother. It was clear her distress was because Ardeth had sent him after her the moment she left Giza Port. It had been a long journey and she'd been completely unaware that he was following her every move quietly, up until last night.</p><p>"Maybe I should apologize for not telling you I was tracking you." He suddenly said.</p><p>"You, apologize? This was not your doing, Samir. You were following an order from somebody else." Elisabeth grumbled and pushed herself away from the railing.</p><p>"But if you are set on apologizing, how about for tricking me all these years? Thanks to your brother, I now know that it was you who kept exposing my whereabouts to Dr. Bey. Behind my back, no less?"</p><p>A blush crept over his cheeks. He knew this was a subject they were going to discuss sooner or later. Ardeth warned him Elisabeth was incredibly agitated the moment she realised Samir was the reason that Dr. Terrence Bey always knew where to find her.</p><p>But then she surprised him by saying, "Actually, you know what? It doesn't matter. It's my own fault for not figuring it out myself." Elisabeth let out a deep sigh. "It was too much of a coincidence you always showing up whenever I was trying to avoid him. I should have noticed the signs."</p><p>Samir kept quiet. Somehow those words even managed to make him feel more guilty about their history that he already felt. The amount of times he tricked her into helping him was a long list. She'd saved not only his life but also his mother's.</p><p>If it hadn't been for his tribe, the Medjai, or the fact that Elisabeth's father was an Egyptologist they were keeping tabs on, he probably would have left her alone the moment she asked for it. And she had asked for it on numerous occasions in the first two years of knowing each other.</p><p>"Samir?" She then asked him.</p><p>"Yes, Zahrah?"</p><p>"Might I ask you something about you and the Medjai?"</p><p>He wasn't surprised she had questions about this. It now seemed like a good time to give her the opportunity to let her ask him a thing or two. "I will answer as much as I'm allowed to."</p><p>For a quick second Elisabeth's mouth twitched though if it was because she thought it funny or was annoyed with him, he could not tell.</p><p>"I take it that, despite the lack of markings on your face, you are a part of the Medjai like your brother Ardeth?"</p><p>Samir nodded. "Maybe it is easier to think of me as a,- spy? If I walked around the cities looking like my brother, I would draw to much attention to myself."</p><p>It made sense to her. The tattoos were what gave the Medjai away. It was probably the reason why she never saw them in the city, except on a few occurrences and only because she was paying extremely attention to her surroundings in those moments.</p><p>"How long have you been one? Since you were born?"</p><p>"No. I mean, I was born into the tribe, but one becomes a Medjai from the start of manhood."</p><p>A chortle escaped Elisabeth's throat and Samir threw her a questionable look, not understanding what was so funny.</p><p>"Manhood?"</p><p>"It varies per person. It ranges between ages sixteen to twenty-two." He explained now seeing that she was probably making fun of him.</p><p>"Were you a Medjai when we met?" She then asked him and that question threw him back. Because it was due to their first encounter he finally became like his brother.</p><p>"I'm afraid your questions end here." He told her firmly.</p><p>Elisabeth cocked her head and gave him a look, but refrained herself from protesting. He'd told her more about himself than he'd ever really done and she honestly appreciated him for it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>A couple of days later</strong>
</p><p>Her father's study was an absolute mess and Elisabeth was incredibly thankful that neither one of her parents were in Egypt at the moment to tell her off. She reckoned if they had been, she probably would not be living in the house anyway.</p><p>Currently, she was standing at the very top of a ladder in front of one of the bookcases, reaching for the top shelf where her father kept more of his travel journals inside a box.</p><p>Ever since returning from Alexandria two days ago, she had spent almost all hours of the day in the study. Much to Menna's chagrin who forced her out of the room every evening around dinner time. Of course Elisabeth sneaked back at the break of dawn to continue her research.</p><p>So far she had found a lot of information regarding Hamunaptra. Unfortunately, there was a lot of contradicting data on the City of the Dead. Possible locations, curses and treasures. She even found a little bit on the Medjai though it was stuff she already knew. The most interesting part of information she could find came from her father's own writing and it spoke of two books.</p><p><em>The Book of the Dead </em>and <em>The Book of Amun-Ra. </em>One made out of pure obsidian and one made of pure gold.</p><p>It was rather odd. Elisabeth had always assumed the Book of the Dead was nothing more than a roll of papyrus with a few spells and incantations from a couple of priests. According to the document it was an actual book. The other one, the Book of Amun-Ra, was one she'd never heard of.</p><p>There was no doubt in Elisabeth's mind that this was one of the reasons why Ludwig might have contacted the American, but how he knew him was still a mystery. Though she was certain of one thing and that was that her father had indeed met with the man. That was definitely not a rumour.</p><p>Unfortunately there was no information to be found in the document on meeting up with anyone who has ever actually been at Hamunaptra. Which meant that the last place she could find more was in Ludwig's travel journals.</p><p>She reached for the top shelf, a bit wobbly to be standing at the very last step of the ladder, but it was doable. The urge to simply yank the entire box down from there was tempting, but who knew what else could be in there. Just because the box said <em>Journal</em> on the side, did not necessarily mean that was all that was in there.</p><p>"Aaaaahh!"</p><p>A loud scream echoed down from the hall. Elisabeth let out a gasp as she nearly fell backwards. That sounded very much like Menna. What was going on? Another scream followed only this time it seemed to be coming closer.</p><p>Her former nanny practically stumbled into the study, out of breath and clutching her chest with her hand. She pointed into the direction of the corridor. "Danaya,- there is a man inside the house,- what are you doing up there? Get down!"</p><p>A man inside the house? At that moment said man appeared in door opening and Menna let out another scream, stepping back until she reached the wall. "Medjai,-" She mouthed.</p><p>The guy who had scared the living daylights out of her was Ardeth Bay. He turned his head and glanced around the room and stopped when his eyes landed on Elisabeth standing all the way on top of a ladder.</p><p>"Miss Borchardt." He greeted her.</p><p>"Chieftain Bay." She nodded in return.</p><p>Menna kept mumbling prayers, her eyes wide and focused on the man clad in black robes next to her. Elisabeth made her way towards the floor. Half worried but also mildly amused by the older woman's fear of the tall man. "Ammah, this is Ardeth Bay. Remember I told you about him?"</p><p>"He is,- do you not know what he is, Danaya?"</p><p>"I know." The other woman assured her. "It is alright."</p><p>Though she still eyed the Medjai warily, Menna straightened herself and walked around Elisabeth and Ardeth in a big circle until she reached the hallway again. "I shall go and make some tea." She said softly before vanishing out of sight.</p><p>"I believe I may have frightened her." The Chieftain exclaimed. Though he did not sound surprised.</p><p>"You do have a certain presence about you." Elisabeth pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh.</p><p>Ardeth cocked his head sideways but did not comment on her obvious enjoyment regarding the matter. "Samir told me you found some information on the American?"</p><p>"Did he now?" She frowned at his words.</p><p>If she remembered correctly, she had told Ardeth's younger brother that she had hardly found anything regarding the missing thief. It seemed Samir had not been entirely honest to his <em>akhi.</em></p><p>"What did he tell you exactly?" Elisabeth crossed her arms as she sat down on her father's desk. She motioned for Ardeth to take a seat, but same as the last time they'd spoken, he preferred to stand.</p><p>"Samir told me you met with someone from the <em>French Foreign Legion?</em>" The Medjai began. "You met with this man late at night, but you were attacked and that my brother saved your life?"</p><p><em>Oh.</em> He really had decided to tell Ardeth almost everything that happened. The only thing missing was their conversation from the barge ride back to Cairo. "Did Samir also tell you that I hardly found out anything from the soldier?"</p><p>Ardeth's mouth twitched. "You still found out something, did you not?"</p><p>There was no way Elisabeth was going to tell him what she'd find out exactly. That she now knew where High Priest Imhotep was buried, that she knew about the possible treasures hidden in said place and that she knew it was in the direction of Minya. Basically she had found out a lot of interesting things, though nothing specific regarding the American.</p><p>"Was that all Samir told you?"</p><p>It almost seemed like Ardeth was about to say something else, but then his eyes landed on the documents scattered on the desk in front of him. His eyes widened as it was clear what the information on the papers was about.</p><p>The words <em>Hamunaptra </em>and <em>Amun-Ra</em> were not written in German and thus it was understandable enough for him to figure out that Elisabeth had figured out more than she led him to believe.</p><p>His dark brown eyes moved back to her and for a second Elisabeth felt incredibly stupid for not setting her behind down on top of the documents. She knew more than Ardeth wanted her to know. But there was no way for him to take that back now.</p><p>Perhaps that was why he had sent Samir after her in the first place, to make sure she wouldn't discover that which she had. She uncrossed her arms and leaned slightly back on the desk. "Something wrong, Chieftain Bay?"</p><p>"I see you have made some discoveries." He replied quietly.</p><p>Elisabeth glanced over her shoulder at the papers. "Technically this belongs to my father. But yes, I now know of that which you tried to keep a secret."</p><p>Ardeth stood tall and exhaled deeply. "I guess we no longer require your services." He then said.</p><p>"Excuse me? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe you hired me to find your thief. As you can tell, I have not found him yet."</p><p>However the Medjai Chieftain turned his back on her and started to walk away. As quick as she could Elisabeth got off the desk and rush forward to step in front of him. Ardeth halted but averted his gaze.</p><p>"I am this close in discovering the guy's name. Once I know it finding him will be easy. What difference does it make that I know where High Priest Imhotep is buried?"</p><p>"Because anyone who knows of the location is suppose to die." Ardeth spat angrily, finally lowering his eyes to look at her.</p><p>"Oh, please. I know the name of the place, not its location. If it is any consolation, my father doesn't seem to know either. Just let me finish what you hired me to do."</p><p>Even if he'd tell her no, there was no way for him to stop her. She knew too much. She knew Hamunaptra was not a silly story to scare children. She was going to go there one way or another.</p><p>If Ardeth released her from the contract, than she had more time to locate the City of the Dead instead of dealing with finding the American. Whatever his answer would be, her goal would not change. She pursed her lips and kept her eyes on him.</p><p>Some part of him already knew it was pointless to stop the woman in front of him. Samir had made it clear if Ardeth would go along with his plan of hiring Elisabeth Borchardt, he would probably never get rid of her. <em>"Zahrah is like the Nile, calm, sweet and always there."</em></p><p>Though in his opinion this woman, who he had only known through stories from his brother, was nothing like the Nile. Perhaps she was like that with Samir, but not with him.</p><p>Ardeth had met her face to face for the first time about two weeks ago and so far the only thing she had in common with the famous river was the colour of her eyes. She was more like the sea. Timid and serene at first glance, but with many secrets hidden below the depths.</p><p>He could understand why his brother spoke so much of her. Why he had offered to be the one to follow her to Alexandria so Ardeth did not have to. Perhaps it was a better plan to keep her close instead of letting her go.</p><p>"Alright." Ardeth eventually said. "We will continue our agreement."</p><p>Elisabeth smiled and extended her arm towards him. He took her hand with his and held it for a few seconds, feeling the warmth spreading through their palms.</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Under the watchful eye of the Medjai</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>Cairo, Egypt</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Midnight had passed and almost every house on this particular street had gone quiet during the last hour. Lights had been dimmed and doors had been locked. Except for one house, where one room appeared to still contain life.</p>
<p>Two men observed the dwelling from a distance, hidden between a couple of lemon trees as to not arouse suspicion from possible passersby.</p>
<p>"I do wonder what you and I are doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping in our tent." One of them said softly while keeping his gaze on the lit up room. "Which reminds me, <em>akhi, </em>why are you here in the first place? Do they not need you back home?"</p>
<p>Ardeth Bay turned his head towards his younger brother his eyes narrowing due to the hidden meaning behind those words. "Is my presence in Cairo bothering you, Samir?"</p>
<p>His question was answered with a shrug. "No more than usual. But it might bother somebody else."</p>
<p>With somebody else, he meant the occupant of the house in front of them. Elisabeth Borchardt or <em>Zahrah </em>as he called her. After saving her from the legionnaire in Alexandria, he'd fallen back into her good graces for which he was thankful.</p>
<p>Unfortunately his older brother had seemed less pleased with this. After his visit to Elisabeth's house yesterday he'd been very short with Samir. At first he had no clue what the reason was behind Ardeth's distant behaviour towards him, until this morning.</p>
<p>"As long as she does not know we are here, she will not be bothered." Ardeth reminded his sibling.</p>
<p>"But is there really a need to spy on her?"</p>
<p>A deep sigh came from the Medjai Chieftain. "If she had been honest with you, we would not be here."</p>
<p>This was the real reasoning behind Ardeth's mood. The fact that Elisabeth had lied to Samir about what she'd discovered in Alexandria. If he hadn't gone to visit her yesterday, he wouldn't have found out which discoveries she'd really made. The burial place of High Priest Imhotep, Hamunaptra.</p>
<p>"Does this mean you are upset with me for not seeing the lie or with her for telling it?" Samir arched an eyebrow at him.</p>
<p>"It does not matter." He replied and his brother groaned.</p>
<p>"You always say that, <em>akhi. </em>It is quite frustrating. You did not have to look in on her in the first place yesterday afternoon."</p>
<p>This earned him yet another angry glare. Why was it that whenever the two of them were together it always felt like some sort of competition? Who was the stronger one, who was the smart one. It was futile and childish, yet neither of them were willing to let the other win.</p>
<p>"I visited because I wanted to make sure she'd been truthful with the information she gave you." Ardeth said to him calmly.</p>
<p>"And the fact I told you she was attacked had nothing to do with it?"</p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p>However, the look which had crossed his older brother's face when he told him about the assault had said something different. It had been a look of worry as far as Samir was concerned. A swift one, but definite nonetheless.</p>
<p>He quietly observed Ardeth's expression a bit longer, only this time it wasn't very clear to see due to the darkness of the night.</p>
<p>"I do not trust her, Samir."</p>
<p>The younger one rolled his eyes. "Yes, you remind me of this every time we speak. But I can see you admire her determination. She has made a lot of discoveries in the amount of time since you enlisted her help."</p>
<p>"Admiration and reliability do not always go hand in hand." Ardeth stepped away from his younger brother and moved closer to the house.</p>
<p>A female silhouette was clearly visible through the open window. A soft breeze blew the curtains aside, giving him a better glimpse of Elisabeth leaning over a desk. She ran her hand through her golden brown hair then lowered it to cover her mouth as a yawn escaped her.</p>
<p>A low shuffle of feet sounded from behind and within a second Samir stood next to him.</p>
<p>"You seem to worry." He chuckled.</p>
<p>"It is not her well-being I am worried about, I assure you. As I told you, I do not,-"</p>
<p>"Trust her." Samir repeated mockingly as he reached above him to pull a ripe lemon from the tree. "Just remember that I met her first, <em>akhi.</em>"</p>
<p>Ardeth viewed his brother with caution. "And what do you mean with those words, dearest brother?"</p>
<p>The upper right corner of his mouth twitched and he smirked, but refrained from answering. "Let's bring some of these with us back. Prevent them from spoiling and in return give the others a chance to grow."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>The Museum of Antiquities<br/></strong>
</p>
<p>For the second day in a row she had once again woken up to a scolding from Menna. There was no reason for Elisabeth to go against it, the woman had every right to yell at her.</p>
<p>After all she had promised her to not work during the night nor fall asleep in the study room, as she had done so last night.</p>
<p>The moment Menna was done and had once again made the twenty-four year old promise she was going to sleep in her bedroom today, Elisabeth made her way towards the museum.</p>
<p>As far as she could tell there was nothing left to find in her father's journals regarding Hamunaptra. The box she had pulled off the shelf two days ago contained a lot of leather bound diaries, but none spoke of Minya nor any of the surrounding cities.</p>
<p>But she knew the city of Minya was her next best clue and therefore before making actual travelling plans, she was going to check the Museum of Antiquities' archives for old burial sites as well as ruling pharaohs who resided in that specific area.</p>
<p>The only problem was that the archives were locked and in order to get inside, she would need a key. Which meant a visit to Dr. Terrence Bey.</p>
<p>Working for the Medjai somehow also implied behaving herself around the curator. Nobody had told her to do so, but it seemed using honey would get her what she wanted quicker than using oil.</p>
<p>Elisabeth passed the enormous statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye. For a minute she paused and looked up at the gigantic structure. According to the sign, grand limestone statue was incomplete. You could tell from several cracks in the stone that it had been put together more than once. But that didn't make it less impressive.</p>
<p>Once upstairs she halted in front of an oaken door with a small golden plaque hanging on the wall next to it saying <em>Dr. Terrence Bey, museum's curator. </em></p>
<p>She knocked two times and straightened her dress quickly as a voice yelled her to come inside.</p>
<p>"Good morning, Dr. Bey." Elisabeth greeted the bald man seated behind his desk next to a fireplace.</p>
<p>Swiftly he looked up from behind his newspaper, a small grimace crossed his face. "Oh, Miss Borchardt. To what do I owe this pleasure?"</p>
<p>His tone sounded anything but inviting and suddenly Elisabeth suspected that getting this key was going to become somewhat of a challenge.</p>
<p>"I'm here because I would like to have a look in the archives. It's for research." She smiled politely and folded her hands together in front of her.</p>
<p>Dr. Bey glanced her up and down for a moment with a frown on his brow.</p>
<p>"The archives?" He repeated her words. "Whatever for?"</p>
<p>"Research." She told him again.</p>
<p>"Yes, I heard you the first time. Did Ardeth send you here?"</p>
<p><em>Verdammt.</em> There were two ways to approach this. Lie or tell the truth. But the only way she wanted this to go was her way. She was about to answer but then she noticed the picture on the front of the newspaper Dr. Bey was currently holding up.</p>
<p>Elisabeth narrowed her eyes to read the headlines. Clasping her hand in front of her mouth, she took a step forward until she reached the desk.</p>
<p>
  <em>Egyptologist Howard Carnahan and wife die in plane crash</em>
</p>
<p>Howard Carnahan was one of the men who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen two years ago. Elisabeth's father had been impressed as well as extremely envious of the discovery. It was one of those once in a lifetime moments. Just like when Ludwig found the <em>Nefertiti </em>bust.</p>
<p>Despite the slight feeling of jealously, he had politely congratulated Howard and even celebrated with him. But at the same time it had also fuelled him to make another impressive finding for himself. Much to Elisabeth's chagrin.</p>
<p>"The Carnahan's passed away last week. They took one of those tiny flying contraptions to Said, instead of a barge." Terence Bey said closing the newspaper and placing it on his desk. "Got caught in a sandstorm. Horrible accident. Big loss for the world and the museum as well."</p>
<p>"A plane crash." Elisabeth whispered. "That is terrible."</p>
<p>The curator stood up from his chair and walked towards her. "Don't they own a house in the same street as where your family resides?"</p>
<p>The Carnahan's had indeed bought the house at the end of the street back in 1918 right after the Great war. Their daughter had gone to Luxor, or Thebes as some still tend to call it.</p>
<p>They also had an older son. But Elisabeth really didn't know either of them, except that they were Howard Carnahan's children.</p>
<p>"For a while now, yes." She answered Dr. Bey.</p>
<p>He nodded. "I received a letter from their daughter a few weeks ago, asking for a job at the museum. At first I wanted to decline, the girl has little to no experience with working in a museum. But now that I know her parents have passed away,-"</p>
<p>"I can't possibly understand why she would want to work here." Elisabeth muttered softly.</p>
<p>"What was that, Miss Borchardt?"</p>
<p>Quickly she cleared her throat. "Nothing, Dr. Bey. I'm sure she will appreciate it. This must be a difficult time for her. At least you could teach her the ropes and give her the experience she apparently needs."</p>
<p>The curator's lips formed a small smile. "Well, I suppose if you put it that way."</p>
<p>He reached for his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Here. Just make sure to give them back the moment you find what you're looking for."</p>
<p>It seems their conversation regarding the Carnahan's had made him forget she never answered his question whether or not Ardeth had sent her. Nonetheless, though feeling a bit guilty, Elisabeth took the keys and left the office.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Borchardt Residence</strong>
</p>
<p>There were a lot of burial sites between Minya and Luxor. The Valley of Kings, situated above Luxor was the burial place of King Seti I. The pharaoh who High Priest Imhotep served.</p>
<p>This alone made Elisabeth wonder if the American had gone past Minya and towards the larger city. But that seemed unlikely, because Ardeth had lost him in the desert. Or perhaps let him go was a better term.</p>
<p>Automatically this meant that Hamunaptra was far away from civilization and therefore not anywhere near the Valley of the Kings. It had to be somewhere in between The ancient city of Thebes and Minya.</p>
<p>She let out a deep and loud sigh before letting herself fall back into the large leather chair. This was too much for her to figure out on her own. Finding this guy for Ardeth really had to remain the first thing on her to-do list.</p>
<p>Although she wasn't a quitter, even Elisabeth realized finding this location seemed beyond her limit. She needed that man's help in order to find the city of the dead.</p>
<p>"Tea, danaya?" Menna appeared in front of the desk, holding a tray with a cup of tea and a small dish of pastries.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Ammah." The woman stretched her arms above her head as her former nanny moved a couple of documents and papers aside to set the tray down.</p>
<p>Suddenly she stopped and picked something up. Her brow furrowed and she squinted her eyes. "Why do you have this?" She asked Elisabeth.</p>
<p>"Have what?" She dropped her arms and reached for the thing Menna was holding. It was the picture of the American.</p>
<p>"Oh, this is someone Ardeth Bay is looking for. Remember him?"</p>
<p>"Medjai,-" The older woman muttered under her breath.</p>
<p>Ever since the Chieftain had dropped by the house, Menna had been reluctant to open the door every time somebody rang the bell. It seemed the so called secret society of the Medjai, was not as secretive as the curator originally claimed it to be.</p>
<p>For one thing it was Elisabeth's former nanny herself who had told her about the Medjai. Albeit those had always just been stories about desert dwellers protecting ancient temples and what not.</p>
<p>Now that the older woman had seen the legend was very real, she was immediately convinced they were bad news. All in all, Elisabeth thought it rather amusing.</p>
<p>But now she was rather surprised she had asked her about the person in the picture.</p>
<p>"Do you know this man, Menna?" Elisabeth asked, showing her the photograph once more.</p>
<p>Menna pursed her lips and cocked her head. "I believe so. I think he visited the house once. To speak with your father."</p>
<p>With a jolt Elisabeth stood up from her seat and placed her hands on the surface of the desk. "When?"</p>
<p>"Two years probably. Before he left for Germany."</p>
<p>She could not believe it. Menna had seen the American. He had even been in the house. But two years ago, that was a year before vanishing in the desert. Time wise it did all fall into place.</p>
<p>Why had she not thought of asking Menna about this man before? She cursed herself and her stupidity. This was not an opportunity to pass by now, she had to ask more questions. Perhaps she knew more details about him than the French Foreign Legion had even given her.</p>
<p>"Do you know what they spoke of, Ammah?" Elisabeth asked. Unfortunately, her question was answered with a no.</p>
<p>"How about a name? Did he introduce himself to you?" She continued.</p>
<p>At this a small smile appeared on Menna's face and she nodded. "He was very polite. Not like those other people your father meets with."</p>
<p>"That's great, do you remember his name?" She felt incredibly anxious, how lucky would it be if this was the moment she were to discover the identity of the man Ardeth was looking for?</p>
<p>"Danaya, it has been a while. This memory is not what it once was. His name was a weird one."</p>
<p>Of course luck would not be on her side. It would have been too good to be true either way. She slumped back into the chair and pinched the bridge of her nose.</p>
<p>But the older woman was not done talking. "Reyshard."</p>
<p>Elisabeth lowered her hand and met her nanny's gaze. "Richard?"</p>
<p>Menna nodded. "Yes. He was a nice man. I do not know the rest of his name anymore. I am sorry."</p>
<p>She jumped back as the girl rushed around the desk and threw her arms around her, pulling her in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Ammah. Thank you so much."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::::...::::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not even the loud shouting of drunken tourists stumbling through the street in the night could dampen her spirits. The day had gone incredibly well and thanks to Menna, Elisabeth finally felt prepared to undertake the next step of her plan.</p>
<p>Heading to Minya.</p>
<p>There was a boat leaving in two days, which gave her more than enough time to assemble everything she needed for the journey. The only problem she now faced was deciding on whether or not contact Ardeth and tell him what she had discovered.</p>
<p>The reason why she was reluctant to inform him of her discovery, was because she was afraid he was going to tell her that this was it. She had found out more than enough information and she would get her money and the contract was to be terminated.</p>
<p>That couldn't happen. Now that she knew about Hamunaptra, she wanted to see the place and for that she needed this Richard. Mainly due to the fact she simply did not have enough leads to find the city herself.</p>
<p>A small bundle wrapped in cloth and tied together with a string was set on the coffee table.</p>
<p>It contained a map of the area. Her father's document on Hamunaptra and the book of the dead and Amun-Ra. The papers she'd taken out of the Museum's archives about the burial sites between Luxor and Minya. And last but not least, Richard's photograph.</p>
<p>She would have to search high and low in Minya and unfortunately she was not that familiar with the city. But that was not going to stop her from going.</p>
<p>Elisabeth made her way to the window and leaned against the side. It was a full moon tonight and whenever the moon was full, people got more rowdy. The two men who were making a ruckus earlier were still making their way through the street, only instead of yelling they had now started to burst out into song.</p>
<p>Another noise suddenly joined the terrible out of tune singing, only this sound was much closer. In fact it seemed to be coming from right beneath her. Elisabeth moved away from the window and pressed her back against the wall.</p>
<p>Was it an animal? Maybe another drunk person only this one got lost and had entered her backyard by accident. The bushes rustled, followed by a creaking noise. Whatever it was, it was climbing onto the window sill.</p>
<p>Without waiting to let it enter her house, Elisabeth clenched her fist and the moment she saw the big dark shape, she hit it as hard as she could.</p>
<p>Whatever it was, it wasn't an animal. The black spot let out a loud yell, more out of surprise than actual pain, and landed on the bushes underneath the window.</p>
<p>Quickly Elisabeth looked down at what she'd just punched. The moment she recognised who it was, she pressed her lips together in a tight line to stifle a laugh.</p>
<p>He looked up at the woman standing above him, surprised and embarrassed that she had managed to startle him. Not only that, she struck him right above his eye. Any lower and she could have hurt him pretty badly.</p>
<p>"Good evening, Samir." Elisabeth said, then a short chuckle followed.</p>
<p>Samir, feeling anything but amused, rolled off the bushes and straightened himself. His head throbbed from where she'd punched him.</p>
<p>"Is this how you treat guests?" He asked raising his hand to touch the spot that was now becoming a bump.</p>
<p>"Only uninvited ones." She smiled. "Would you like to come in?"</p>
<hr/>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Trying to steal a kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Borchardt residence </strong>
</p><p>Perhaps roaming that close to the house hadn't been the brightest of ideas. To make an attempt to enter through the window without alerting anyone had been an even dumber one.</p><p>And now because of his so called bright plan, Samir now not only had a bump above his right eye, but also a cut to show for it. If his brother saw him like this, he would never hear the end of it.</p><p>Elisabeth re-entered the room, carrying a brass bowl with a piece of soft looking fabric hanging over its side. She sat down on the bench next to the Medjai spy and pulled a tiny bottle out of her back pocket.</p><p>"Is there a reason why you decided to use the window as an entrance point instead of the front door?" She asked him as she unscrewed the cap of the medicinal looking bottle.</p><p>There was one, but it wasn't a very good reason. He simply hadn't been in the mood in making this seem like an official visitation. Mostly due to courtesy of his brother, whose only order still was for him to keep tabs on the woman.</p><p>Last time he'd told Elisabeth that it had been Ardeth who had sent him to Alexandria to spy on her, she'd been incredibly upset. He really did not want that to happen again.</p><p>No, it was better if she was under the impression he was there just to visit her as a friend and not as someone who was suppose to be watching her every move.</p><p>"Let's just say I heard some rather unsettling stories about some old lady who works here." Samir replied.</p><p>The upper right corner of Elisabeth's mouth twitched slightly. "That sounds about right."</p><p>She took the cloth from the bowl and pressed it against the now open bottle, gave it a quick shake and set it back down. "Although I don't think you could have scared her as much as your brother did."</p><p>That almost sounded like a compliment and he couldn't help but smile for real this time.</p><p>Back home in his village, Ardeth was the one who got all of the attention even before he became Chieftain. All the women fawned over him. Gave him small gifts such as flowers and fruits. The men accepted him as one of their own and the younglings looked up at him.</p><p>Had Samir been but a year or two older than his brother, all of that would have gone to him. But unfortunately this was not the case. Within his tribe he would always stand in his brother's shadow.</p><p>At least until the time would come when Ardeth would find himself a wife and have a family. Perhaps then their heads would turn his way and acknowledge the things he had done for the safety of the people.</p><p>"What are you doing with that?" Samir suddenly leaned back and his eyes diverted to the cloth she was holding near his face.</p><p>The woman frowned. "For that cut above your eyebrow. This is to make sure it doesn't get infected."</p><p>"Infected?" He repeated her then huffed. "That will not happen. It doesn't even hurt."</p><p>Elisabeth rolled her eyes and moved her hand towards his head. He caught her wrist mid-air and pulled her arm down. She threw him an annoyed glance. "Come on, Samir. This will not hurt. It will only sting for a moment and then it is done."</p><p>They held each other's gaze for a couple of seconds and finally he gave in with a deep sigh. He let go of her hand and finally she could start treating the small wound she'd inflicted upon him.</p><p>This evening had been such an embarrassment on his honour. To think she had not only managed to actually surprise him as he sneaked into the house, but knocked him out of a window with her bare hands. This was something nobody was ever to learn of. Especially his brother.</p><p>A gentle and warm touch shocked him for a mere second. He looked straight ahead as Elisabeth held the side of his head with one of her hands, to make sure he wouldn't move.</p><p>This wasn't the first time they were seated this closely together. Only it somehow felt different this time. She wasn't looking directly at him, her gaze focused on the cut above his eyebrow. But he couldn't help stare at her.</p><p>He hated this. The fact that he was here to spy on her. Which was weird, considering he had mislead her so many times since knowing her in order to get information or ask for her help with certain situations.</p><p>"Ai." Samir suddenly hissed loudly, as the cloth dipped in alcohol touched his skin. He jerked back.</p><p>Elisabeth chuckled. "You are such a baby."</p><p>"Baby?"</p><p>"I hardly touched you." She added, reaching for the same spot once more.</p><p>With a grimace he moved forward and let her take care of it properly this time. It still stung, but he kept his jaw clenched as she patted the cut a couple of times. He was certain she was purposely taking longer than was necessary.</p><p>After that was done, she dropped the cloth back into the brass bowl and dunked it under water before wringing it out. Quietly he let her continue to clean the area above his eye, which took even less time than her prior action.</p><p>"There. All done." She smiled as she lowered both her hands.</p><p>"Thank you." He replied softly. There was an odd sense of absence now that she was no longer holding his head. He kept his eyes on her and Elisabeth cocked her head sideways with concern.</p><p>"Are you sure you're alright? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"</p><p>Samir didn't answer her. Instead he moved closer, until the space between them was almost non-existent. This was as close as he'd ever gotten to her. He inhaled deeply. Her scent was sweet, like a flower, as was what he always called her.</p><p>"Samir,-" She breathed.</p><p>"Zahrah." His voice low and heavy.</p><p>"What are you doing?"</p><p>He felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest. His gaze dropped for a quick second towards her pink lips. "Ana mao'gab beki. I like you."</p><p>Elisabeth placed her hands against him. "I've known you for almost five years, Samir. Now you decide to do this?"</p><p>"Would it be wrong?" He didn't want to talk. He wanted to press his mouth against hers.</p><p>"You never tried to before." She said.</p><p>"Maybe I have changed?"</p><p>"Pfft, you don't change. You have secrets, but you always behave the same way."</p><p>She was talking too much and he could feel the spell he was under slowly slipping away. "Remember two years ago?" He then asked and Elisabeth blinked.</p><p>Of course she knew what he was referring to. But that situation had been different and he hadn't meant anything with it. It had only been a display of gratitude for what she had done. Besides, that was two years ago. Nothing else ever happened afterwards between them, nothing that showed either of them wanted something more.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Cairo, Egypt, 1922</em> </strong>
</p><p><em>It was turning out to be one of the strangest winter months she'd seen in years. December hadn't been as cold as the year before, but January was a different story. </em> <em>Alexandria had closed the harbour due to severe gales hitting the coastal area and they said Port Said was next on the list. </em></p><p><em>Inland things were different, except for that day when hail covered the city of Giza. Hail. </em> <em>A bizarre phenomenon. The last time that occurred was back in 1915.<br/></em></p><p>
  <em>For the first time since forever, Elisabeth was actually wearing a scarf as she roamed the streets of Cairo. It seemed none of the locals cared much for this change in weather either.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not that it would last. The cold winds of January often vanished by the time February came around. This too would pass, but for the time being it annoyed almost everyone throughout the city. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Once again she checked the note Menna had given her. A short grocery list of items she'd forgotten to purchase the day before. Seeing as Menna wasn't the youngest and with treacherous weather, Elisabeth had offered to do the work for her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>About half an hour later she had managed to get almost all of the supplies she was suppose to buy. The winds had once again picked up and the desert's sand blew almost violently through the city streets. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was then she saw someone familiar near one of Cairo's new General Practises. It was a small place, build not too long ago by some French man and was mainly used for those with minor illnesses.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Samir?" She called out to him the moment she was a couple of feet away. </em>
</p><p><em>The young man turned around to face her. </em> <em>She hadn't seen him since the summer, he had changed quite a lot. His hair was longer and his features sharper than before. B</em> <em>ut his expression did not bode well. Something was wrong.</em></p><p>
  <em>"Zahrah?" He replied sounding slightly confused. "What are you doing here?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What am I doing here? I live here, remember?" Elisabeth replied. "The question is, what are you doing here?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Samir did not have time to talk. He had to get inside this building and soon. The hospital had denied him access and the other doctor who usually helped them, was out of the city. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nothing,- just, hanging around Cairo." He tried to sound casual as if him being there was a normality.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Only it wasn't an every day occurrence and Elisabeth knew that. Samir was only in Cairo whenever he was there for business or for an errand. Not to mention his face revealed there was much more going on than he was willing to share. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, well if that is all. I shall leave you to it. It was good to see you again."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She was about to step away but felt something grab a hold of her shoulder. When she turned around, she stared straight into Samir's concerned face. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm sorry, Zahrah. It is my mother,-" And this time Elisabeth was convinced he wasn't lying to her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Quietly she listened to him as he explained to her why he was standing in front of this particular building. She could tell he was still reluctant to tell her everything, therefore she only asked him simple questions in return.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>However, it soon became clear that he was unsure of what to do next and the fact that he lived with his family somewhere out in the desert wasn't very convenient in this situation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In short, his mother had fallen ill and she wasn't the only one within the tribe. One of the elders, who functioned as the tribe's physician, was in need of certain medications in order to treat the sick. Most of the supplies they had were all used up by now and so far Samir had had no luck obtaining them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elisabeth wasn't sure how she would be able to help him, but she doubted any of the practises nor the hospital was willing to part with medication unless they got to see an actual patient. Another part of her wondered how Samir's village normally handled a situation such as this.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>But then again, he had said there was more than one sick person. It was not her place to question him, not today. She'd never seen him this distraught and she had known him for almost three years now. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What kind of medication does your village elder need?" She asked him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Samir took out a piece of paper from his shawl and handed it to her. It was written in Arabic, which wasn't necessarily a problem only that she did not recognize most of medical words jotted down. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nonetheless, she might know of a way to help him out now. If getting medicine was all he wanted, then she knew who to contact about it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Meet me here at nightfall." Elisabeth told him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>::::::...::::::</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Night had already fallen by the time she almost made it back to the spot where she'd told Samir to meet with her again. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>She couldn't remember the last time she had run this much in a single day. The linen bag filled with small bottles filled with some type of liquid and bottles containing pills. </em>
</p><p><em>By the time she arrived, Samir was already there and she wouldn't be surprised if he had actually been waiting since the moment she left him there earlier today. </em> <em>He jumped up the second he spotted her, his eyes wide and his hands were shaking as she handed him the bag. </em></p><p>
  <em>"That should be enough for at least twenty people." Elisabeth said out of breath. "One pill every day, after a meal. No work, a lot of sleep and rest. Your village elder should know what the other bottles are for."</em>
</p><p><em>The man seemed at a loss for words. He had no idea how she had managed to find or obtain the medicine, but he wasn't going to ask. </em> <em>He was thankful enough that she had helped him without wondering whether or not he'd been telling her the truth. </em></p><p><em>"Zahrah, I,-" Samir paused. </em> <em>There were no words to express. So instead he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him into a dark alley. </em></p><p>
  <em>Once they were out of sight, he grabbed hold of her face and before Elisabeth knew what was going, he lowered his head and touched her lips with his. It was a swift peck but it was the best way he could think of to thank her for her help.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you. You are a good friend." </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Borchardt Residence</strong>
</p><p>"You didn't mind it then." Samir reminded her.</p><p>"That because you were only thanking me. You told me so yourself."</p><p>The Medjai shrugged. "Maybe I lied."</p><p>Elisabeth clenched her fists and turned her head away. "Samir, please." Her voice was soft and pleading.</p><p>Something hit him suddenly seeing her like this. Perhaps he had gone too far with his actions. But was it really a bad idea? He had known her for a long time. She was a smart and kind woman. Well, at least to the people she cared about.</p><p>He could already hear his brother's voice in the back of his mind. <em>She is a thief, a foreigner. She lied to you about learning of Hamunaptra and you want to court her?</em></p><p>Knowing Ardeth, he would not approve of Samir's choice. Even if he did not always agree with him, he did care for his older brother. But at the same time he was beginning to see Elisabeth as something more than just a friend.</p><p>Was this the result of having spied and following her around for the last couple of months, since Ardeth acquired her services?</p><p>"I am sorry, Zahrah. I will not push any further." He gave her a weak smile and moved back to his original position.</p><p>Despite what his brother thought, there was no point in pursuing his own wishes if the woman didn't return his feelings in the first place.</p><p>"I will not try to kiss you again." He then added. "Until you ask me to."</p><p>Elisabeth narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "You are unbelievable. I should dunk this bowl of water over your head."</p><p>She stood up from the bench and walked across the room until she reached her father's desk, where she set the bowl down. Samir followed her example and as he went her way his eyes roamed the room.</p><p>It wasn't the first time he'd been in here, but he was never going to tell her that. It had been years ago after all. No need to dig up things from the past. He stopped a couple of feet from her and glanced at the parcel in front of him.</p><p>When he looked back up, he caught Elisabeth looking at him.</p><p>"I am going to Minya." She told him.</p><p>"Minya? Why are you going there?"</p><p>A smirk appeared on her face, as if she was rather proud of herself. "Because the American went there with the French Legion last year, thus it might be the best place to continue the search."</p><p>Al-Minya. She really knew more than she initially told him or his brother. If he hadn't come by tonight, would she have told him the next time they'd met? Probably not. She really was like a sand cat. Swift and cunning.</p><p>"When are you leaving?" Samir asked.</p><p>But the woman didn't answer him. Instead she leaned back against the desk and crossed her arms. "Why do you want to know?"</p><p>"You're forgetting that you have a duty to report everything you do or discover to <em>akhi.</em>"</p><p>She waved her hand at him. "You now know. You can tell him where I'm going."</p><p>Something told him that she was already aware of the fact he was assigned to spy on her this very evening. But why she'd decided on telling him about leaving for Minya, surprised him. Perhaps the woman no longer cared whether or not she was being followed.</p><p>"Oh, I will tell him. But I am also going to come with you. Based on what happened last time, leaving you alone is a disaster waiting to happen."</p><p>"Is this about what happened in Alexandria? Or because I kept secrets from you?"</p><p>Samir huffed. "Both."</p><p>It didn't take long for Elisabeth to give in. Whether or not she were to tell him the date, it was something he could easily figure out on his own. And with Samir joining her, she might discover a thing or two quicker than on her own.</p><p>Even though there were some things she still couldn't tell him. Such as the fact that she knew the American's name. Richard.</p><p>On one hand she felt guilty for still keeping things from Samir, but she justified it by convincing herself it was only for the best. If Ardeth Bay got wind of what she knew, he would most surely cut their agreement short. Money wasn't something she was interested in anymore.</p><p>Not the money he would give her for this task. No, she wanted to see if the rumours about the books and treasures, she'd found in her father's document, were true.</p><p>"Two days from now. I'll be leaving Port Giza with a barge. You better not be late."</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. To Minya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The next two days passed by quickly and just after sunrise, Elisabeth was already standing on the deck of a paddle steamer. An almost mustard-like coloured vessel, with a large wheel on either side. The trip began at Giza and she was to disembark at Minya, where she'd hopefully get back on track with locating Richard the thief.</p>
<p>However, there was already one issue presenting itself, a problem that went by the name of Samir. The ship was still in the port, but that wouldn't last for long as the captain had given the departure signal about five minutes ago.</p>
<p>Actually, he'd given the signal about ten minutes ago, but Elisabeth managed to stall it for another five. Though now she was certain she wouldn't be able to convince him to delay any longer.</p>
<p>The woman clenched her jaw and leaned over the railing to look at the crowd on the street. A combination of tourists and locals, though most of the people were obviously foreigners. With their arms and hands raised, they were waving goodbye to family members or friends.</p>
<p>A heavy weight fell on her. At first she'd hoped he was just running a bit late, but now there was no doubt about it,- Samir was going to miss the boat.</p>
<p>Had she not been clear about it? <em>Two days, Port Giza, after sunrise.</em> She'd even told him to be on time. Even if the man was not known for his punctuality, he was either always already there or he'd show up at the very last minute.</p>
<p>But that was not this day. Today he was neither early nor on time. Something must have happened,</p>
<p>Not that it really mattered whether or not he would join her on this trip, she was planning on going anyway with or without him. It was the fact that he had been adamant on joining her. For her own safety, he had claimed, which was a ridiculous excuse and he knew it.</p>
<p>No, Elisabeth was convinced the main reason why Samir had been set on coming with her to Minya, was because of Ardeth Bay. The Medjai Chieftain did not trust her, even Samir had said as much and she couldn't really blame the man for the way he perceived her.</p>
<p>The only good thing that was to come out of this, was that nobody would be able to look over her shoulder during this journey. Keeping an eye on everything she would be doing in order to find the American.</p>
<p>Yes, it was better this way. No annoying Medjai to follow her every move or try to convince her to do things differently.</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt." A deep voice emerged right behind her and Elisabeth let out a scream.</p>
<p>She pressed her hand against her chest and turned around to look at the man who'd scared the living daylights out of her. Of course she knew who it was, recognizing the voice immediately. But that didn't stop the rapid pounding of her heart.</p>
<p>"<em>Mein Gott</em>,-" She breathed. "Chieftain Bay."</p>
<p>Ardeth politely bowed his head, a tiny smirk adorned his face.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry to have frightened you." He told her, though Elisabeth sincerely doubted he meant it.</p>
<p>These Bay brothers really had the tendency to appear out of nowhere. She straightened herself and nodded her head as well.</p>
<p>"You were not someone I was expecting to see here."</p>
<p>"Understandable. You were expecting my brother, I take it?" The Medjai arched an eyebrow and Elisabeth let out a breath.</p>
<p>Apparently Ardeth being here, meant something had indeed happened to Samir. She could only hope it didn't have anything to do with the fact that she'd knocked him out of a window two days ago.</p>
<p>"I was expecting him, yes. I take it he told you where we're headed, considering you're standing in front of me?"</p>
<p>"He did. But do not worry, he will still meet up with you once you reach your destination."</p>
<p>The news surprised her and she automatically frowned. Why was Samir meeting her in Minya, when he'd told her he was coming with her? She assumed he must have left almost immediately after their last encounter. But obviously there had been time for him to meet up with his brother to inform him of their plan.</p>
<p>"You are...disappointed?" It sounded like a question. An odd question. No, she wasn't disappointed, but she was a bit stunned by the news.</p>
<p>"It is just unexpected. That is all." She assured him. "You wouldn't happen to know why he is meeting me there instead of joining me on this voyage?"</p>
<p>"That is obvious." Ardeth replied as he pointed his chin a bit upward. "Because I ordered him to."</p>
<p>Good grief, the man seemed awfully proud of himself. But it wasn't really an explanation as to why the Medjai chieftain had come all this way or why he had told Samir to leave for Minya on his own.</p>
<p>"Samir told me that you do not trust me to hold up my part of our agreement?" Elisabeth paused and looked up at the man before her.</p>
<p>He dropped his gaze and crossed his arms over his chest. "It is merely a precaution."</p>
<p>"A precaution?" She repeated his words. "That does not really answer my question, Chieftain Bay."</p>
<p>For a split second his expression changed and Elisabeth felt a little pleased with herself. It was apparent that Samir's words had rung truth. Even though the Medjai before her had always kept a straight face whenever they spoke, the distrust he had regarding her shone through right at that very moment.</p>
<p>The fact he had sent Samir after her more than once, visited her a few days ago and nearly broke off their contract because she got too close to the truth, were enough ways to show how he truly felt about her.</p>
<p>The loud sound of the boat's horn blasted across the ship and for the second time that day Elisabeth practically jumped out of her skin.</p>
<p>"You scare quite easily, Miss Borchardt." Ardeth commented.</p>
<p>Elisabeth slightly narrowed her eyes as he said that. If she didn't know any better, it seemed he was rather enjoying her skittish behaviour.</p>
<p>"I do believe the boat is leaving Port." She told him shortly.</p>
<p>The Medjai raised his head and looked out onto the horizon. "So it seems."</p>
<p>"Shouldn't you be leaving?"</p>
<p>Swiftly he moved his eyes back towards her. It seemed the man had no plans on disembarking the vessel as of now. That was just what she needed. Instead of Samir, his older brother was planning on following her around for the time being. She honestly hoped she was wrong.</p>
<p>Handling Samir was something she was used to, but Ardeth was a different story. The man was unpredictable. Always showing up when she least expected it. Not to mention the way he spoke to her. One minute it was all business and the next he would make a remark which made it seem as if he was toying with her.</p>
<p>"All in good time." He replied calmly.</p>
<p>
  <em>Great. This was just great.</em>
</p>
<p>A quiet spell fell over the two of them. The German woman really did not know what to say to him and for a split second, she actually missed the company of Samir. With him nothing felt forced, but whether that was because she had known him for so long or because Ardeth made her a bit uncomfortable, she did not know.</p>
<p>Slowly the paddle steamer moved away from the water's edge and towards the centre of the Nile. Elisabeth wondered how the Chieftain was planning on leaving the boat, now that they were officially setting course for Minya.</p>
<p>The question burned on the tip of her tongue but she refrained herself from asking him. Being rude was the last thing she should be doing, even if doing so always seemed to come natural when she was in close proximity of him.</p>
<p>After all, she had managed to do so every time she met the man in person.</p>
<p>"How's his head?" She suddenly asked.</p>
<p>"His head?" Ardeth looked at her with slight confusion.</p>
<p>"The cut above his eye?" Elisabeth traced a line with her finger above her own. "I'm referring to you brother."</p>
<p>Finally recognition appeared on his face, yet his expression still remained puzzled. "Ah, it will heal. These things can happen. Although it has never happened to him before."</p>
<p>That was a rather odd comment and she frowned at him. "What kind of things happen?" She decided to ask him.</p>
<p>"Falling off his horse. Samir is quite a skilled rider, better than me, I must admit."</p>
<p><em>Fell off his horse? </em>Elisabeth's jaw dropped.</p>
<p>Ardeth suddenly cocked his head an narrowed his eyes. "I was unaware you knew of his wound, Miss Borchardt?"</p>
<p>Oh, she was more than aware. She was the one who had caused it. But it was apparent that Samir had decided to lie to his brother about it. Obviously the whole thing had been quite the embarrassment to the younger Medjai's pride.</p>
<p>A low chortle emerged from her throat and Elisabeth pressed her lips together to stifle the upcoming laughter.</p>
<p>"It seems my brother's misfortune amuses you." Ardeth added as his demeanour once again shifted from relaxation to stiffness.</p>
<p>The woman shook her head, her mouth still pressed together tightly. The desire to reveal the truth was immense. In fact, it might just be the very thing to break the cool atmosphere amongst the to of them.</p>
<p>"Oh, no," She replied to him. "I feel for his,- stroke of bad luck. But I am afraid your brother must have hit his head rather hard, seeing as he probably meant to say the word 'window' instead of horse."</p>
<p>The Medjai Chieftain blinked, even more confused than he had already been. "I do not follow? You are claiming he did not fall off his horse?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth nodded. "Actually, 'falling' is also not entirely accurate. What he meant was, 'getting hit' and then fall."</p>
<p>It was rather funny to see Ardeth trying to visualize what it was she was trying to tell him, and then it seemed he finally understood it.</p>
<p>"Are you saying Samir got hit, which caused him to fall out of...out of a,-"</p>
<p>"Window." She finished for him.</p>
<p>The upper right corner of Ardeth's mouth twitched a little. "That certainly is a different story than I was told."</p>
<p>"In your brother's defence, it was perhaps a bit embarrassing for him to tell the truth."</p>
<p>"It appears you are more familiar with the actual tale than I am." The tall man concluded.</p>
<p>This time Elisabeth couldn't hide the grin forming on her lips. "I'm afraid I also might be the villain in this short story of clumsiness."</p>
<p>Suddenly something changed in Ardeth's demeanour as she revealed the truth to him. His dark eyes rested upon her and they seemed to move up and down for a quick second. His features softened as well as the tone of his voice when he spoke again.</p>
<p>"That all depends on who is telling the story." He simply stated, his lips curling into an actual smile this time.</p>
<p>That feeling of discomfort Elisabeth had felt earlier, somehow managed to find its way back to the surface She tried to kept her gaze focused on Ardeth a little bit longer, but eventually she lowered her head and cleared her throat.</p>
<p>"I think I will retire to my cabin for a moment. If you do not mind, Chieftain Bay?"</p>
<p>It took him a few seconds before providing her with an answer, as if he was actually planning on saying something else. But the Medjai stepped aside and bobbed his head once. "Of course, Miss Borchardt."</p>
<p>She quickly walked away without giving him a final glance. That was until she reached a staircase, where she halted to throw a short look over her shoulder, only to find Ardeth Bay's eyes still staring in her direction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By the time Elisabeth had made it back to the very same location where she'd left Ardeth, the Medjai Chieftain was already gone. She searched around the steamer in every nook and cranny she could think of. But it appeared the man was no longer on the ship.</p>
<p>How he had managed to leave the moving vessel was a mystery. Despite the paddle steamer being slow, she very much doubted Ardeth would have been willing enough to take a dive into the Nile. Surely the amount of robes he wore were too heavy for swimming?</p>
<p>Her conversation with him had made her think. He never really gave her an answer regarding Samir and why he was to meet her in Minya instead of going along with her. Even if it didn't matter in the end, and it was more than likely the reason wasn't important, she still found it rather odd.</p>
<p>The journey would take at least a week until she would reach her destination and having all that time to herself would only be a blessing for the first half of it. After that she would surely get bored, which was what usually happened.</p>
<p>Sitting still was a thing she wasn't good at. She always felt the need to do something. Which was probably another reason for not following into her father's footstep. Taking one's time to carefully uncover tombs, took too much time and patience.</p>
<p>Although technically, the fact that she took artefacts from burial grounds or dig sites, didn't differ that much from Ludwig's profession. But the items she took usually stayed in the hands of Egyptians or Dr. Bey. Except for those few times when one was willing to pay a handsome sum of money.</p>
<p>Eventually, after having giving the search for Ardeth, Elisabeth sat down at one of the small round tables positioned on of the lower deck and took out a couple of documents regarding Hamunaptra. Some reading would surely pass the time for today.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Near Minya</strong>
</p>
<p>Seven days had passed since Ardeth went to meet Elisabeth Borchardt at Port Giza and some time today she was scheduled to arrive at Minya. He had honestly wondered why she'd bothered to take a ship down the Nile as travelling over land would have been a bit shorter and obviously for more efficient.</p>
<p>There was no doubt in his mind that the woman probably had her reasons for choosing that way of transportation, but it still wasn't a smart one in his opinion. If Samir had known about her plans a little earlier, they could have offered her one of their horses instead, with an escort of course.</p>
<p>After all, their horses were trained for crossing long distances in a day. If done correctly, she could have made it the journey within five day. Perhaps four even. But something told him she probably would have declined his offer.</p>
<p>When Elisabeth had left for her cabin, he had felt relieved that he was finally able to leave the vessel himself. He had quickly walked to the lowest part of the paddle steamer and jumped over the railing into the blue green sweet water.</p>
<p>Had she waited any longer, it would have surely been a long swim back to shore for him. If that had been the case, he wouldn't have been able to leave until the ship would come at a rest at the next port.</p>
<p>He'd gotten aboard the ship on a whim, just before dawn. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he'd decided to meet Elisabeth there, when he could have easily gone to her house instead. Perhaps because he wanted the element of surprise to be on his side. Throw her off guard.</p>
<p>A rather unprofessional move on his part, maybe. But he felt the need to stay one step ahead of her at all times, especially considering she had managed to be a lot quicker than he'd originally expected her to be. Not to mention, the surprised and confused look on her face had pleased him.</p>
<p>"Is there a reason why you are are still here with me?" His younger brother Samir suddenly asked him.</p>
<p>"To make sure she is still on that ship." Ardeth answered almost immediately.</p>
<p>The other Medjai cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Your behaviour is beginning to trouble me with each passing day. First you sent me to Minya on my own and then you show up on the exact day she's meant to arrive here. Do you not see what is odd about that?"</p>
<p>"You know why I sent you ahead, because I,-"</p>
<p>"Do not trust her." Samir shook his head. It was the same discussion they had every time their talk turned to Elisabeth, which seemed to be their main subject of conversation nowadays.</p>
<p>There were times Samir wished he had never found out who Elisabeth's father was. Then this would have never happened in the first place and then <em>akhi </em>wouldn't have known about her.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was only his imagination or the fact she had rejected him a few days ago, but to him it seemed as if his brother was beginning to show a different kind of interest in Elisabeth. Though if he were to ask him directly, he would most surely deny it.</p>
<p>Without realizing, he raised his arm and reached for the small bump above his eye. The cut was long gone and the tiny unevenness only a reminder of that unfortunate night.</p>
<p>Samir turned his gaze back to the river and stared into the horizon. The distinct shape of a vessel with two wheels on either side materialized in the distance and the Medjai straightened himself.</p>
<p>"I believe that is her." He said out loud.</p>
<p>The Chieftain followed his younger brother's eyes and nodded once he saw the steamer. "It would appear so."</p>
<p>"I guess this is goodbye, <em>akhi.</em>"</p>
<p>His voice sounded anything but polite. In fact, if Ardeth didn't know any better, it was almost as if Samir was glad to finally see him leave Minya.</p>
<p>"You seem very eager to get rid of me." Ardeth arched an eyebrow at his brother's dismissive behaviour.</p>
<p>"And you seem eager to stay." Samir retorted.</p>
<p>The taller man cleared his throat, ignoring the obvious rude tone and implication behind Samir's words. "You are right, there is still much work to be done back home. Let me know as soon as there is more news regarding the American."</p>
<p>"I will. <em>T</em><em>irooh wa tigi bis salaama." </em>He said, bidding his brother a safe journey.</p>
<p>Ardeth nodded and threw one last glance at the steamer nearing the port. "<em>Allah yisallimak.</em>"</p>
<p>It wasn't until he was finally out of sight, that Samir felt a weight being lifted of his shoulders. This would have been so much easier of Ardeth hadn't bothered to come here today.</p>
<p>The mustard coloured paddle steamer docked slowly and already Samir was walking around to catch a glimpse of Elisabeth. The ship carried about thirty people and no more than that, so it shouldn't take too long for him to spot her.</p>
<p>And then he saw her. Her golden brown hair pinned up in a twist, her cheeks slightly flushed and she appeared to be laughing. What was she laughing at, he wondered.</p>
<p>Then he noticed the gentleman walking next to her. A rather skinny looking fellow, wearing a pith helmet and his eyes stood a little bit too far apart. He was laughing back at her. Samir pursed his lips and headed towards them with heavy steps, just as they were about to disembark.</p>
<p>"Samir!" Elisabeth waved at him, the same smile still adorning her face. The stranger stuck close by her side as she halted in front of her friend.</p>
<p>"That saves me the time looking for you." She exclaimed happily.</p>
<p>But Samir wasn't paying attention to her greeting. He pointed his chin in the other man's direction. "Who is this?"</p>
<p>"Where are my manners?" The guy replied with a heavy British accent. "Jonathan Carnahan. Egyptologist." He extended his hand, only Samir simply bobbed his head.</p>
<p>"Mr. Carnahan is actually one of my neighbours back in Cairo. He lives at the end of the street." Elisabeth explained.</p>
<p>Somehow that piece of information did not comfort Samir at all. He was still eyeing this Jonathan person with a sceptical look. It might have been seen as unfair to judge the man purely based on the fact that he was British.</p>
<p>Quickly the woman cleared her throat, having noticed the annoyed look on her friend's face. "Mr. Carnahan, this is Samir Bay. My long time friend and travel companion."</p>
<p>"Pleasure." Jonathan smiled. "Well, I'd best be on my merry way. But I promise, when I am back in Cairo along with my sister, we will surely swing by for tea."</p>
<p>"Yes, that would be lovely." Elisabeth replied as the man grabbed her hand and placed a swift peck on top of it.</p>
<p>With one final look at Samir, Jonathan Carnahan tipped his helmet and walked of into Minya. But the atmosphere now surrounding the two friends was a cold one.</p>
<p>"I can see you were quite entertained during your trip down the Nile." The Medjai grumbled.</p>
<p>"I was, if you must know." The woman replied. "It isn't my fault that your brother decided to sent you here instead."</p>
<p>That comment stung him more than he cared to admit. Once again he was reminded of the fact his brother was the one who seemed to be making almost all of the decisions.</p>
<p>"It wasn't my place to argue." He admitted. Which was the truth. This was technically a mission and he therefore had to obey the Chieftain of the Medjai.</p>
<p>Elisabeth gave him a look of compassion. It couldn't be easy for Samir to have to listen to his older brother all the time. "I know. If it makes you feel better, I did miss your company during the trip."</p>
<p>Strangely enough, those words did make him feel better. With a deep sigh he took her bag from her and held it over his shoulder. "Let's start our search, shall we?"</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Elisabeth doesn't like horses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The audacity some people had. Well, maybe not some people. Just certain people in this case. People who lived in the desert and preferred to be clad in dark long robes and tattoo their cheekbones.</p>
<p>Actually, that also didn't quite described the person Elisabeth was currently upset with. Sure, he lived in the desert and was technically one of those who tended to dress in black. Only today he was dressed as an everyday man, someone who you probably wouldn't even look at twice.</p>
<p>Everything had been going so well and she was this close in getting this Frenchman to tell her about Richard's full name, when a certain someone felt the need to interfere and drag her away from that slightly drunken gentleman.</p>
<p>"I can't believe you did that!" She threw the door shut behind them before stomping further into the hotel room.</p>
<p>"That man was treating you like, like,-"</p>
<p>"This is exactly why I didn't want you here, Samir." Elisabeth continued. "You're interfering too much. I can't do my job if you pop up the minute you think something is wrong."</p>
<p>The Medjai grimaced as she raised her voice at him. Stubborn woman. He had only been making sure she was kept out of harms way. Elisabeth was smart, yes. But sometimes she did not seem to understand the ill intent some men had towards her.</p>
<p>That Frenchman from the poker table would not have left her alone if Samir hadn't shown himself. The second that scrawny looking man laid his eyes upon the tall and strong looking Egyptian, he immediately cowered back like a scorned dog.</p>
<p>"You'd rather I not care for you safety when in the company of those people?" Samir asked her. "Because if that is the case, I can always ask somebody else to watch you."</p>
<p>"I'd prefer it if nobody watched me. Especially you meddling Medjai!"</p>
<p>Samir stepped in front of her and covered her mouth with his hand whilst grabbing hold of her arm. "Please, Zahrah! You don't know if anybody is listening. Don't throw our name around as if it means nothing."</p>
<p>He could feel Elisabeth's warm breath against his fingers and her lips pressed together tightly behind his palm. She blinked and he dropped his hand.</p>
<p>"Sorry." She apologized. "But you should have kept your distance. I had that man right where I wanted him."</p>
<p>That was probably what the gentleman had thought as well. Elisabeth had stood at the bar in the man's line of vision, seductively twirling the little toothpick with a green olive in her drinking glass.</p>
<p>He'd had walked up to her and stood a bit too close for comfort. Casually pressing his body closer towards her. If he'd pressed up against her any further, they would have surely fallen through the wooden construction. Luckily, Samir had been there to pull her away from the skinny Frenchman.</p>
<p>Although he hadn't necessarily pulled her away. He'd addressed her politely, pretending to be her servant, as they'd done so for the past four days. With some simple excuse he'd lured her away. Forced her, to be more precise. For Elisabeth noticed he wasn't planning on leaving the bar area of the hotel without her.</p>
<p>"You don't know what you're saying, Zahrah. He could have been lying to you about everything." Samir countered.</p>
<p>Elisabeth threw her hands up in the arm. "Maybe, but now we will never know."</p>
<p>She was furious with the man in front of her. Everytime something seemed just a little bit off, he'd jump in or interrupt the situation in some way. Of course, this was the first time they'd been in each other's company for so long.</p>
<p>Perhaps that only added more fuel to the fire. She was just getting more annoyed with him as she wasn't used to spending so much time with him.</p>
<p>"Don't tell me, that have you forgotten about what happened the last time you were alone with a Frenchman?" He practically spat out the latter part. But the woman understood immediately which incident he was referring to.</p>
<p><em>Luc Bonnet. </em>The young man from the <em>L</em><em>égion étrangère. </em>He was the one who had told her about Richard heading to Minya in search of <em>Hamunaptra. </em>The situation turned dire rather quickly after that.</p>
<p>She was thrown against a stone wall and could only cry out for help as the soldier tried to assault her. Elisabeth shivered thinking back on it. Luc's hot breath and deep moans as he licked her neck.</p>
<p>If it hadn't been for Samir, she wouldn't have gotten out of that business unscathed.</p>
<p>"Do you now understand why I am watching you? You are too reckless sometimes, Zahrah."</p>
<p>There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with his words, even though she knew perfectly well that he right. She was getting more careless the closer she was getting to discovering the identity of the American.</p>
<p>Elisabeth let out a deep breath. "Alright. I understand."</p>
<p>A loud knock sounded from the door and automatically the Medjai jumped in front of her. There was a muffled noise coming from the other side. "Lillian Beaufort."</p>
<p>"<em>Verdammt</em>." She cursed under her breath.</p>
<p>"Mademoiselle Lillian, are you there?"</p>
<p>It was the Frenchman from downstairs. Elisabeth had no idea how he had managed to figure out what room she was staying in, it was one of the largest hotels in Minya. He probably paid a member of the staff to ask for her location.</p>
<p>She walked around Samir, who grabbed hold of her wrist the minute she passed him. "Where do you think you're going?"</p>
<p>"Open the door, obviously."</p>
<p>The Medjai shook his head. "You can't let him in here."</p>
<p>"I'm only going to ask him what he wants, Samir."</p>
<p>"Mademoiselle Beaufort?" The voice shouted this time.</p>
<p>"<em>Oui! </em>Yes<em>.</em>" Elisabeth replied loudly as she pulled her arm out of her friend's grasp.</p>
<p>"Hide behind the door." She whispered to him, to which he nodded and quickly made his way to the wall next to the entrance.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath in, Elisabeth conjured up a smile and turned the handle. In the hallway stood the scrawny looking Frenchman. Louis Duchamps.</p>
<p>"<em>Salut, monsieur Duchamps."</em> She said to him.</p>
<p>"My apologies, milady. I hope I have not disturbed your slumber on this fine evening?"</p>
<p>He obviously didn't. She'd been with him not too long ago, not to mention she was still dressed in her evening gown and her face was still covered in make up.</p>
<p>"Not at all, good sir. Please, to what do I owe this visit?"</p>
<p>The man placed one of his feet on the threshold and leaned part of his body against the door frame. "I concluded that our conversation was far from over, therefore I thought I might take my chances and see if you were willing to continue it?"</p>
<p>"Was it not over?" Elisabeth replied with a feigned frown. "What was the last thing we discussed? I simply can not remember,-"</p>
<p>"If you invite me inside, I shall tell you. Do not worry though, Mademoiselle. I realize it is rather brazen of me to enter the room of a beautiful woman at such an hour. But I assure you, I have only the best and polite intentions."</p>
<p>His honeyed words would have probably swayed most women. You could tell he'd done this before or perhaps it was the natural charm French people seemed to have. If she'd been alone, she would have thrown the door in his face or offered him a special kind of drink prior before letting him in.</p>
<p>But the tall and alert Medjai standing a couple of feet away from her would be her protection for tonight. Thus Elisabeth stepped aside and let the man in. All the while making sure his back would be facing the hidden Samir.</p>
<p>"The man you asked about. Richard something of the <em>L</em><em>égion étrangère. </em>I told you I could provide you with more information, did I not?" Louis said, right after she'd closed the door behind him.</p>
<p>It surprised Elisabeth that he was actually getting straight to the point without her having to drag it out of him.</p>
<p>"Yes." She replied a bit too eager. "You mentioned you could tell me the name he's been using around the area?"</p>
<p>However, the Frenchman suddenly cleared his throat and undid the tight collar around his neck. "I might have been a bit too confident with my response. You see, I have seen the man not too long ago. We even played a hand of poker as the night progressed. He seemed like the sort of man who had quite a bit of wealth on him. Alas he stated he only played cards for fun, not money. It's safe to say we didn't end up playing more than a few rounds."</p>
<p>Elisabeth frowned at him. What did he say? That he had been too confident with his response? Did that mean what she thought it did?</p>
<p>"<em>Excusez moi, monsieur</em>. But it sounds almost as if you have been lying to me?"</p>
<p>A blush appeared on his face, which could have been due to the heat as well as the amount of drinks he'd had. But it was obviously neither of those. "Well, it is more that I can't seem to remember his name. It was a rather odd name, more Irish than American."</p>
<p>"Does this mean you are unable to help me at all?" Elisabeth let out soft sigh and ran a hand through her golden brown hair. "<em>Mon dieu."</em></p>
<p><em>"Non, </em>No. I can tell you where he went to. He left three days ago on a small barge, back to Cairo."</p>
<p>At first his words didn't register with her, she blinked a couple of times and stared at him. <em>Cairo. </em>Richard had gone to Cairo? Elisabeth's jaw practically hit the floorboards. "Unbelievable,-" She breathed.</p>
<p>Three days ago. A day after she arrived in Minya. He'd been right her, under her very nose for almost twenty-four hours. She couldn't believe this. What kind of cruel trick was the universe throwing at her?</p>
<p>"Mademoiselle, you told me earlier that this man had something that belonged to you. If I may be so bold, what is it exactly that he has taken from you?" Louis asked.</p>
<p>She did tell him that. Elisabeth had come to a point that she was basically trying every trick in the book to get information. Such as telling people that Richard was her long lost lover or brother, depending on the person she was asking. Or as she had done in this case with the Frenchman, that the American had taken something from her that was very important.</p>
<p>"Something,- small. A key to a family heirloom." It was the first thing that came to mind.</p>
<p>She should have thought that up from the very moment she decided to tell him that the American had stolen something from her. It would have made it more believable. But luckily it seem Louis Duchamps was willing to believe just about anything she told him.</p>
<p>"I see."</p>
<p>"Have you seen it, monsieur?" She quickly asked. "Please, tell me." Without contemplating she grabbed his hands and held them tightly.</p>
<p>"It was not a small thing such as a key, I'm afraid." He began. "It was more like a cube."</p>
<p>Elisabeth furrowed her brow. "A cube?"</p>
<p>The man nodded. "It was about this big, an octagonal shape. He checked his pocket a couple of times during our talk about the <em>Légion</em>. Held it in his hand even at one point to show me the sort of things he'd come across during his travels. I did not care much for it. Egyptian trinkets do not hold any interests for me."</p>
<p>A cube? That hardly sounded like the thing she was looking for. Elisabeth couldn't imagine that was the key to <em>Hamunaptra. </em>But it was strange that he apparently felt the need to make sure the object was still on him at all times.</p>
<p>The only real important piece of news that was really important, was that Richard was on his way back to Cairo. Which meant she had to get back to her home town immediately.</p>
<p>"I guess that means I'll have to continue my search elsewhere. But thank you for sharing this information with me, Monsieur Duchamps."</p>
<p>A small smile appeared on Louis's face and he bobbed his head shortly. "Not a problem, Mademoiselle Beaufort. I shall take my leave then."</p>
<p>To Elisabeth's surprise, he turned around and nodded at Samir, who was only standing a couple of feet behind him against the wall. It seemed he'd known about the Medjai standing there from the very beginning.</p>
<p>But as he opened the door to let himself out, he stopped and turned once more. "That reminds me. There was another fellow asking around for the same man you seem to be looking for."</p>
<p>The woman's eyes widened. "Are you certain?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Fairly. He didn't have a picture to refer to, but based on the questions I heard him ask, it sounded as if he was looking for the same person you are."</p>
<p>For a second Elisabeth wondered if perhaps Ardeth had hired another person to search for the American. But he wouldn't do that, would he? Surely if he had, than Samir would be aware of it as well?</p>
<p>"Do you by any chance know the identity of this man?"</p>
<p>Fortunately for Elisabeth, Louis nodded. "He comes by every couple of months. I do not know him personally, but what I do know is that he is always very interested in money. A lot of people don't dare to play cards with him anymore."</p>
<p>He waved his hand. "You know how those British people are. The only thing they are interested in is money, fame and fortune. They are not like us. We French care about beauty and romance,-"</p>
<p>"British?" Elisabeth interrupted him.</p>
<p>"Yes. Jonathan Carnahan. His father was a famous archaeologist, died in a plane crash not too long ago. I gave the good man my condolences, of course."</p>
<p><em>Carnahan. </em>She could feel the blood draining from her face. The man who lived at the end of her street, the very same who she had met on the boat during her trip from Giza to Minya.</p>
<p>"Mademoiselle Beaufort, Lillian, if I may be so bold. Would you do me the honour of accompanying me for dinner tomorrow evening?" Louis leaned forward and added with a whisper. "Without your servant, if you please?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth smiled and curtsied for a swift second. "It would be my pleasure."</p>
<p>Confidently, Louis Duchamps grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "<em>Bonne nuit</em>, Lillian Beaufort." Goodnight.</p>
<p>With a heavy sigh, Elisabeth shut the door behind him and pressed her forehead against the wooden structure. "I am such an idiot!" She exclaimed.</p>
<p>The heavy footsteps of Samir sounded behind her, but she didn't dare to turn around. She'd made one of the dumbest mistakes in the business. Sharing her information with another con man. Although in her defence, Elisabeth never would have suspected Jonathan to be on the wrong side of the business.</p>
<p>Of course, she hardly knew the guy. But she figured he was a noble man, like his father and mother. The love they received for their work in the field was different from how people treated her own father. But then again, Ludwig Borchardt had quite the reputation amongst other Egyptologists.</p>
<p>"It seems I was wrong about your French friend." Samir noted.</p>
<p>"I think things would have gone differently had you not been here, Samir." Elisabeth sighed and tilted her head back.</p>
<p>His comment was mainly meant to be polite regarding her judgement, because the Medjai actually agreed with her. He was still convince the man had ill intention, the fact that he invited Elisabeth to have dinner with him tomorrow proved that.</p>
<p>"Are you going to accompany him?" He asked the second the woman turned around to face him.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry?"</p>
<p>Samir nodded at the door. "The Frenchman?"</p>
<p>"That no longer matters." Elisabeth waved her hand and crossed the room towards the direction of the bed.</p>
<p>"Is that a yes or a no?" He continued as he followed her.</p>
<p>She came to a short and full stop, causing Samir to almost bump into her. She jerked around and narrowed her turquoise eyes at him. "It means <em>no</em>, Samir. Will you stop asking me? We need to make arrangements as soon as possible."</p>
<p>"Arrangements?" He repeated.</p>
<p>"Have you not listened to a word that man said? The American went back to Cairo! We have to find a steamer or any other form of transportation to get us out of Minya."</p>
<p>Samir didn't understand why she was so frustrated with him, but at least now he understood what she was talking about. Of course he had heard the Frenchman and he had also heard that the American had left on a small ship. Which meant going back across the Nile was not really an option. They would never be able to gain up on him.</p>
<p>"Why don't you let me handle a quick way out of the city, back to your home town, while you make sure we're ready to leave?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth blinked, had she heard him correctly? It would seem that he had been paying attention after all. But there was still the matter of Jonathan Carnahan. She should have asked Louis if he also told him about Richard leaving for Cairo. If he had, it could mean the Carnahan was also planning on going there.</p>
<p>She was incredibly angry with herself. She shouldn't have told Jonathan anything about why she'd come to Minya in the first place. Hadn't he initially been on his way to Luxor? Had he changed his plans because she told him she was looking for a thief who'd stolen something important from he father's digsite?</p>
<p>It was another lie being thrown back in her face. She should have stuck with her original plan, which was telling people Richard was a lost lover. Those stories usually worked better than mentioning treasure, especially in the company of archaeologists.</p>
<p>"Are you certain, Samir?" She asked him. "You don't have to come back with me. You can go back to Ardeth and your tribe, if that is more important."</p>
<p>But Samir shook his head and smiled coyly at her. "You are my priority, Zahrah."</p>
<p>He went quiet and stared into her eyes for a couple of seconds. Was it her imagination or was it getting warmer in here? He had kept his distance from her since Cairo. Since she'd told him she had no interest in them becoming anything more than friends. But just because he hadn't tried to convince her that they could be something more, didn't mean he wasn't trying.</p>
<p>Oh, she had noticed the clever inconspicuous he'd been throwing at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Even when she was in the bed, trying to sleep, she could sense him staring her way from across the room where he slept on the floor.</p>
<p>She wondered what Ardeth Bay would have to say if he knew his little brother and her were sleeping in the same room. She doubted the Medjai would allow something like that.</p>
<p>"Do you think you can arrange a form of transport before the sun rises?"</p>
<p>"Please, have some faith in me."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>The next day</strong>
</p>
<p>Samir had kept true to his word. By the time the sun came up, Elisabeth was already dressed and ready to head out. The bags were packed and Samir had asked her to make sure she was wearing clothes suitable for the desert weather.</p>
<p>That request could only mean one thing. That they weren't going to travel on the Nile river, but on land instead. A feeling of regret as well as fear hit her. She knew it was a much faster way of travelling back to Cairo. But the thing she was afraid of was the form of transportation. Based on what she knew of the Medjai and how they travelled around, there really was only one obvious answer. And she wasn't going to like it.</p>
<p>There had been no encounters with Louis Duchamps and unfortunately no Carnahan either as Elisabeth made her way out of the hotel and onto the streets. A part of her had hoped to see the Brit, for she would have pummelled him into oblivion if it were up to her.</p>
<p>It didn't take long for her to spot Samir and it was safe to say that he wasn't alone, but he wasn't in the company of any person. There were two horses standing side by side.</p>
<p>An incredibly high and strong white looking horse, with greyish mane, tail and a dark muzzle. The other horse was much smaller and of a darker shade, almost chestnut brown.</p>
<p>Her fear had come true. They were going to travel on horseback. Elisabeth groaned inwardly. She didn't like horses. In fact she was disliked them so much, she was pretty certain the feeling was mutual. How was she going to be able to travel on the back of a horse for the next couple of days?</p>
<p>"Zahrah, I'd like for you to meet your travel companion. Hiba." He pulled on the reins of the brown coloured horse. "She will be yours for our journey."</p>
<p>The horse snorted at her and immediately Elisabeth took two steps back. "Salaam, Hiba." She greeted.</p>
<p>Samir cocked his head and frowned. "Take her."</p>
<p>"Do I have to?" Elisabeth retorted.</p>
<p>The Medjai parted his lips to reply, but stopped and observed her demeanour once more. "Are you afraid of horses, Zahrah?"</p>
<p>It suddenly dawned to him that he had never once stopped to thought about this. Somehow he'd automatically assumed she would be familiar with horses and riding them. Apparently his assumption had been wrong as Elisabeth's hand trembled slightly as she took the reins from him.</p>
<p>"Only a little." She replied.</p>
<p>Perhaps this trip wasn't going to be as easy as she'd initially hoped it would. Curse, Samir for not asking her about this first. But it would be the quickest way for transportation. Plus, it was clear he knew how to handle these majestic looking creatures.</p>
<p>"Here, let me help you into the saddle." He thankfully offered.</p>
<p>Her entire body was shaking from the minute she placed her foot in the stirrup and with all her strength managed to throw her other leg over the animal's back. The ground suddenly seemed a lot further away. Hiba moved and Elisabeth let out a short but loud shriek.</p>
<p>As she tried to get herself comfortable on top of the horse, while Samir made sure the bags were secured tightly behind her. There were already other supplies on his own horse, items Elisabeth hadn't seen before.</p>
<p>"Where did you get these horses?" She asked him with curiosity.</p>
<p>With great ease, Samir got onto the white horse and he petted it gently before answering her. "Sawsan here was already in the stables behind the hotel. She is my own horse. I have had her since I was but a young boy."</p>
<p>"Your horse?" Elisabeth frowned. Was that how Samir had travelled to Minya without her? This was the fifth day they were in the town, yet he hadn't mentioned having a horse with him once.</p>
<p>"It is how we travel, Zahrah. I could have told <em>akhi</em> to take her back with him, but I am glad that I didn't. Otherwise I would have had to buy two horses instead of the one you are sitting on."</p>
<p><em>Akhi? </em>"Your brother was here?"</p>
<p>Samir's expression suddenly changed. "Did I not mention that? He came with me and left the minute you arrived."</p>
<p>Elisabeth blinked at the surprising news. "Oh."</p>
<p>Not only had the Medjai Chieftain wanted to make sure she would leave Giza on the paddle steamer, apparently he had also felt the need to make sure she would arrive in Minya too. Ardeth Bay really and clearly did not trust her for one second.</p>
<p>A heavy feeling made its way to her stomach and she lowered her eyes for a second. It was only logical, she couldn't really blame him.</p>
<p>"Are you ready to leave?" Samir's warm voice shook her out of her thoughts. She looked back up and smiled at him.</p>
<p>"Ready as I will ever be, I am afraid. Uh,- giddy up?"</p>
<p>Hiba didn't move. Elisabeth hopped in her saddle, but the horse still didn't budge. A loud laugh came from her right. Apparently Samir found the whole ordeal incredibly funny.</p>
<p>"A little help would be appreciated." She huffed as her cheeks coloured red.</p>
<p>Samir manoeuvred Sawsan closer to her and grabbed the reins. "You'll learn soon enough. Otherwise you are more than welcome to ride behind me for a while, until you feel more comfortable with them?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth licked her lips. "I think I'll stay right where I am, thank you."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. A dark night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Somewhere in the desert</strong>
</p>
<p>Two days had passed since Samir and Elisabeth left Minya to get back to Cairo. It had taken the German woman some time to get adjusted to riding a horse and she was still terrible at it. Luckily for her, the horse didn't seem to care much about it.</p>
<p>Hiba, which was the name of the animal, was quite an easy travel companion. Unfortunately, Elisabeth was not. A steady walking pace was easy enough for her to handle, but the moment Samir told her to switch to a steady trot, the woman had no idea how to keep herself seated.</p>
<p>Her body moved up and down in an uneven and wobbly manner. Not only did it seem incredibly clumsy, there was a sense of danger to it as well. If she wasn't careful, she could very well fall off the creature.</p>
<p>However, the Medjai didn't bat an eyelash at her discomfort. No, Samir was enjoying the view next to him way too much and Elisabeth was well aware of it. Whenever she sensed him looking her way, she'd give him the evil eye.</p>
<p>"How is it that you managed to obtain so many artefacts from dig sites without the help of a trusty animal to take you there?" Samir questioned as she hobbled alongside of him.</p>
<p>"You're forgetting I usually ste,- obtain them from archaeologists or tourists in a town. Should I happen to find myself at a tomb, I probably got there by camel or in the back on one of those auto mobiles."</p>
<p>The man arched an eyebrow. "Was there not a race with one of those in Chawarbi street last April?"</p>
<p>"Yes. They say it is the transport of the future." Elisabeth replied with a smile. "They're a lot faster than a paddle steamer. Perhaps faster than a horse even."</p>
<p>Samir could not believe such a thing to ever come true. A mode of transportation for the future? Did those foreigners not understand Egypt was mainly made out of sand? He found the whole idea ridiculous.</p>
<p>"I'm certain if you spend more time with the horse I bought for you, you will get fond of it eventually." He said instead of abolishing her ridiculous prediction regarding four wheeled vehicles.</p>
<p>"Fond is a very big word, Samir. I think you mean <em>tolerate. </em>Just like how I tolerate you."</p>
<p>Her comment caused him to smirk. She was teasing him. Or perhaps she was actually being serious. He didn't really care, as long as she was talking to him and it wasn't about the mission or finding the American.</p>
<p>"I say we ride for another hour and then set up camp for the night." He suggested manoeuvring his horse closer to her.</p>
<p>Elisabeth was still bouncing up and down in her saddle. She didn't look too pleased with his suggestion. He could tell from the way she was clenching her jaw, but kept herself from complaining.</p>
<p>Admittedly, Samir was rather proud of her. She hadn't really whined or protested once over the past two days. At least not with words. She had rolled her eyes a couple of times and even sighed here and there. But never out loud.</p>
<p>In fact, she was a much better travel companion through the desert than Ardeth<em>. </em>Alright, in all fairness, they were brothers and they were more than comfortable enough to be themselves around each other.</p>
<p>This included being grumpy in the morning and having little arguments left and right. Such as whose turn it was to make shai. Ardeth somehow won most of those battles.</p>
<p>With Elisabeth there were plenty of arguments and discussions as well. But there was a different feeling to it. Both her and him were both stubborn and headstrong. Only none of that was visible during the evenings once they'd set up camp. She'd do things without him having to ask for it.</p>
<p>During the evenings, Samir told her stories about what it was like living out in the open with his tribe. Though he didn't reveal too much. Perhaps he even romanticized it a little.</p>
<p>In turn, she told him about Germany and things she remembered from there before her family moved to Cairo. She talked about where her and her mother and run to during the Great War, as Cairo didn't feel safe without her father being there.</p>
<p>Shai brewed over the fire, a small tent pitched and two bedrolls spread next to each other. This was how they had spent the last two nights together. Though Samir hardly got any sleep as he kept watch throughout those dark hours where the moon and stars lit the sky.</p>
<p>Despite the desert being quiet and most of the time peaceful, it wasn't completely deserted especially since they had been travelling near the Nile. But not today. Today Samir had altered their course away from the fresh water and guided the horses into the direction of the vast sand dunes.</p>
<p>Elisabeth might not be unfamiliar dealing with the darkness and cold of night or the bright and warmth of day. But she was unaware of the possible dangers the sands brought with them. Creatures, but worst of all, people.</p>
<p>Raiders and other tribes. Even tourists sometimes dared to cross the desert, it wasn't uncommon. And thus they had to be careful and alert at all times. But Samir didn't want to worry the woman with him about these things.</p>
<p>After all, he was there to take care of her. Make sure she got to Cairo safely and keep an eye out to also make sure she was doing her job, which his brother hired her for.</p>
<p>A loud yelp sounded and the Medjai tugged on the reigns of his horse to stop. Confused, he turned his head towards his left and stared at the creature next to him.</p>
<p>Leaning forward, he looked past the horse's legs and found a pile of white linen clothes, a pair of brown sandals at the bottom and tussled golden brown hair on top. Elisabeth had managed to finally fall off Hiba.</p>
<p>With a frustrated growl she swept her hair out of her eyes. Her face was red, not only due to the sun but also because of a great deal of embarrassment from what had just happened.</p>
<p>"Don't you dare laugh!" She snapped at Samir as she crawled back up on her feet.</p>
<p>Of course the man couldn't do as he was told. The entire situation deserved more than a good chuckle. He barked out a laugh which was so loud, you might have thought it would have the power to travel through the entire desert by itself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Night had fallen and the air had turned cold. A small area was lit by a crackling fire. Samir poked the coals at the bottom with a stick for a bit, before tossing it onto the fire. Even he found the air frigid.</p>
<p>Raising his eyes, he stared to the person sitting across from him. Elisabeth had her arms wrapped around her, a dark burgundy blanket covering her upper body.</p>
<p>Samir offered it to her earlier, after noticing she was shivering a lot. It had been a long day for both of them, with only a few stops. Tonight they would remain here, at least until dawn when the weather would be mild enough to travel for another hour or two.</p>
<p>It would still take a day or three to get to Cairo. A part of him wanted to head west a bit more, where he knew they'd be welcomed and have food and more comfortable sleeping arrangements at their disposal.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Samir knew that wasn't an option. He doubted his brother would allow him to take Elisabeth with him to the location of their tribe. Unless there was a very good reason, which this would not be.</p>
<p>He got up from his spot and headed over Elisabeth, who looked up and watched him quietly the moment he moved. The Medjai halted a few steps from her and motioned at the ground next to her.</p>
<p>"May I?" He asked.</p>
<p>Elisabeth, a bit surprised that he asked her permission, nodded and shifted as Samir sat down next to her. A quiet spell fell over them once more. She watched the fire in front of her. Tiny embers flicking left and right, sometimes accompanied by a little crackle.</p>
<p>However Samir's attention wasn't focused on the fire or their surroundings. His eyes was focused on the woman next to him and again his thoughts went back to a few weeks ago when he was at her house.</p>
<p>They'd been sitting next to each other, almost as close as they were now. The way she'd held his face, as she cleaned the cut above his eye, was one he longed to feel again.</p>
<p>But he had made a promise that night. A promise he felt the need to break more as the days went by. Especially since they met up again in Minya. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to hold her.</p>
<p>It was becoming a burden to be this close and not being able to do anything. Even if it was something as simple as holding her hands and warming them during this cold night.</p>
<p>He could not risk dishonouring himself by breaking his promise. Therefore sitting this close would have to suffice, even though it really didn't. Samir cleared his throat and Elisabeth turned her head towards him.</p>
<p>"Do you think we'll be able to find the American easier, now that we know he is back in Cairo?" Despite not being in the mood to talk about the mission, it was the easiest topic to divert his thoughts away from her.</p>
<p>Elisabeth shrugged, but only to pull the blanket closer around her. "I can only hope. At least we know where he is and luckily I'm more familiar with the city than any other place. I'm sure the chances of finding him are much easier now than they've ever been."</p>
<p>"As soon as you do our journey and mission will be over." Samir added quietly.</p>
<p>"Well, for me it will be. Your brother probably still needs your help retrieving the artefact from him. It is rather clear he does not want my help with that part."</p>
<p>The Medjai shook his head. "It is not because he doesn't think you're capable. But because it's not safe."</p>
<p>She scoffed. "Compared to other men I've dealt with, I don't think Richard will be too difficult for me to handle."</p>
<p>"Do not be so ignorant, Zahrah. You do not know anything about this man, nor do I." Samir countered as he turned his body towards her. "I agree with <em>akhi. </em>Once we find the American, you will get your reward and us Medjai will finish the job."</p>
<p>His voice was deep and firm. Not leaving her with the possibility to come up with an argument to change his opinion. She stared at him long and hard but when he didn't budge, she gave up. She was too tired to argue with him tonight anyway.</p>
<p>"You know where to find me, in case you do need my help." She replied softly, diverting her eyes back to the fire.</p>
<p>Her response surprised Samir. She hardly ever gave in this easily. Perhaps the cold as well as the long hours of travel was all it took to tire her out from arguing with him.</p>
<p>But he didn't want their talk to stop just yet. Over the last two days they'd talked more than ever before and he had hoped tonight would not be any different. Without contemplating he shifted in his spot and moved closer to her.</p>
<p>Raising his right arm, he gently placed it around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She didn't resist him and let out a deep exhausted sigh. Samir's heart pounded rapidly in his chest and his mouth felt as dry as the desert sands.</p>
<p>"You will be the first person I'll go to, should we need help." He told her.</p>
<p>A light chuckle came from her and Elisabeth closed her eyes. "You better."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At first she thought she was just hearing things. Noises, muffled voices in the distance. A dream. Drinking too much shai was never a good idea if one wished a good night's rest.</p>
<p>Elisabeth opened her eyes and listened. The voices were still there, meaning it had not been a dream at all. She propped up on her elbows and stared at closed entrance of the tent.</p>
<p>The voices were strange and unfamiliar. She couldn't tell exactly how many there were. Two at the very least, perhaps even three? Elisabeth crawled out of her bedroll and made her way to the front.</p>
<p>Whoever these people were, they were talking to Samir, but her gut feeling told her that this wasn't right. For one they weren't talking Arabic, it was English. British English from the sound of it.</p>
<p>It was hard to understand what they were saying. Until Samir suddenly spoke up in a loud and clear voice. His English heavily accented, but at least she could hear him.</p>
<p>"Sirs, it is only I who is here. Please, there is no need to search for anything. Tea, food and clothes is all I have." He said loudly.</p>
<p>Elisabeth's eyes widened and she quickly turned around to search for her weapon. Even though she was an incredible poor shot, one could always pretend to know what they were doing. As long as she would be able to fool whoever was out there, she wasn't afraid to fire a gun.</p>
<p>"If that is so, then explain to me why one man would have two horses?" One of the unfamiliar voices replied. "Check the tent!"</p>
<p>As quick as she could, Elisabeth held the gun aloft and aimed it at the entrance before her. If anyone were to come inside, they would be greeted by a bullet. But unexpectedly, Samir began to shout frantically in Arabic, telling her to crawl out through the back of the tent.</p>
<p>His sudden change in behaviour caused a shift to occur with everything else as well. Elisabeth quickly did as she was told and made her way to the back of the tent. Hoping there'd be nobody to greet her on the other side.</p>
<p>"Wait!" A voice shouted. "I have a better idea."</p>
<p>With a rapid pounding heart and beads of sweat dripping down her back, Elisabeth listened closely. What were they on about and who were these men? It would seem though that they didn't understand Arabic at all, otherwise Samir would have never called out to her.</p>
<p>A loud and deep cry sounded from outside. A scream that frightened her to her very core, for it was emitted by Samir. Another howl followed and Elisabeth began to shake. They were hurting him. Trying to lure her outside with his cries.</p>
<p>"Whoever you are in there, if you don't want us to kill your friend here, I highly advise you to show yourself. Arms raised!" The Englishman shouted.</p>
<p>Elisabeth licked her lips, but continued what she was doing in the first place, which was getting out through the back end of the tent. There was a slight breeze, blowing her hair across her eyes as she crawled out from underneath the cloth.</p>
<p>"Do not listen, Zahrah! Run, head west until you,-" Samir yelled in Arabic, but his words were cut short by another cry.</p>
<p>One thing was certain, she wasn't going to leave Samir all alone. That was something she couldn't do. No time for hesitation. Elisabeth made her way around the tent and double checked her gun to make sure the safety was off, before appearing out in the open with her weapon raised.</p>
<p>There were three men standing near the small fire. One of them was holding Samir and another was standing right next to him, a knife clutched in his hand. A streak of blood was visible on the Medjai's face.</p>
<p>The three English men stared at her with surprise. Not because they hadn't expected someone to show up. But because the person who did show up, was a woman.</p>
<p>"Let him go!" She said out loud as she stepped into the open.</p>
<p>"A woman?!" The one closest to the tent she'd just been sleeping in exclaimed. Automatically she pointed the barrel of her pistol in his direction.</p>
<p>"What's your name, puppet?" The guy with the knife asked.</p>
<p>"Lillian Beaufort." She replied shortly with a heavy French accent, her eyes shifting in the direction of Samir. Trying to see how seriously he was injured. But his dark robes obscured too much for her to properly see.</p>
<p>"Such a lovely name. Mind if we keep you and your slave here company for the night? We are rather tired and I'm afraid our camels are no longer fit to travel across the desert, for the time being."</p>
<p>"Maybe you didn't hear me, English. I told you to let my friend go." Elisabeth repeated, her arm trembling slightly from keeping it up too long.</p>
<p>The man holding Samir arched an eyebrow. "Now, now, love. Why the hostility? French and English are allies, are we not?"</p>
<p>He motioned his head sideways, eyes locked with the guy standing only a few feet away from her. She turned her head and held the gun with both hands now.</p>
<p>"If you don't mind me asking, what's a lass such as yourself doing out here? In the desert of all places?" Knife guy spoke up.</p>
<p>Elisabeth clenched her jaw. "My business is my own. I'm giving you one last chance to do as I say, before someone gets hurt!"</p>
<p>A loud laughter hollered through the area as the man holding Samir took a step forward with him. "You sure you want to do that? Honestly, you are in no position to bargain, pet."</p>
<p>She should have expected as much that these so-called British gentlemen wouldn't take her serious, despite having a gun pointed at one of them. It was now or never. Her index finger twitched and she squeezed the trigger gently.</p>
<p>A loud crack sounded, followed by a ear-piercing scream. She hadn't even been aiming properly, but as luck would have it, she'd managed to shoot the man near her in his abdomen.</p>
<p>He fell to the ground and immediately the man with the knife made a run for her. Elisabeth didn't have time to turn and shoot him. He knocked her over and she landed in the sand on her stomach.</p>
<p>Cold hands grabbed hold of her feet and pulled her backwards, she felt her gun slip from her fingers as she was dragged away. Even though she managed to seriously injure one of them, she'd made the miscalculating that there were two more to deal with and they were obviously stronger than her.</p>
<p>"<em>Nein</em>!" Elisabeth shouted out loud as she was turned around onto her back.</p>
<p>Somehow her yelling caused the British man to stop. But she knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. In fact, her shouting in her mother tongue was probably one of the dumbest mistakes she could have made that night.</p>
<p>"Did you hear that, Pauly?" He arched an eyebrow as he pinned her legs beneath his weight. "Where have I heard that language before?"</p>
<p>It was clear they knew what language she was speaking. It had such a distinctive sound, it could only be confused with the Dutch language, but if you listened closely you would know it wasn't.</p>
<p>"Sounds like this French gal isn't French. Seems like we've found ourselves a German fräulein. That's what it is, innit?" He chuckled. "Fräuhlein?"</p>
<p>"Let her go!" Samir shouted in Arabic. Pauly threw him to the ground and kicked him in the stomach.</p>
<p>"Quiet!"</p>
<p>The guy who was sitting on top of Elisabeth, pulled his knife and place the cold steel against her cheek. His breath smelled of alcohol, which was no excuse for his behaviour. It just made it easier for the man to access that which was already inside of him.</p>
<p>Samir was lying on the ground, coughing loudly and shaking as he tried to get up from his position. The man named Pauly stepped away for a second to check on his friend whom Elisabeth had shot.</p>
<p>Pauly crouched down and glanced the guy's lower body. But he wasn't moving at all. "Bloody hell. I think he's dead, Greg."</p>
<p>"What you mean dead? He can't be dead,- check again!" Greg raised his head.</p>
<p>"I'm telling you, bruv. He's as dead as a doornail." Pauly shook his head. "I don't understa,- Look out!"</p>
<p>The heavy weight pinning Elisabeth down suddenly disappeared as Greg got punch in the back of his head by Samir who had managed to get up before anybody noticed.</p>
<p>Immediately Elisabeth crawled back. Something warm trickled down her cheek and she lifted her hand to touch it. She hissed loudly. The knife Greg had held against her skin apparently cut her as he fell off her.</p>
<p>The Medjai reached for her and pulled her to her feet. He winched from the swift display of strength and reached for his stomach. Franticly, Elisabeth looked around the area for their horses. But aside from Samir's horse, there was nothing else to see.</p>
<p>It didn't take long for Greg to stand up, despite getting knocked down. He pulled his arm back and threw the knife straight at them. Without warning Samir jumped in front of Elisabeth.</p>
<p>Her eyes widened, as her friend reached for the hilt. The blade had struck the area between his shoulder and chest. He moved so quickly, Elisabeth could hardly grasp what was happening. Samir threw the weapon back and it hit Greg right in his neck.</p>
<p>The large man fell to his knees, unable to shout or scream from the object obstructing his throat. Pauly let out a loud howl. But instead of trying to attack Elisabeth and Samir, he stepped back and ran away from their camp knowing this was a fight he could no longer win.</p>
<p>A few seconds went by before either of the two left behind made a sound. Samir collapsed against Elisabeth who tried her very best to stay on her own two feet while his body leaned against her.</p>
<p>She couldn't believe this was happening. Her white blouse was already getting redder by the minute, covered with his blood. Elisabeth had no idea how she could fix this. She was no doctor.</p>
<p>Sure, she knew how to fix little cuts, like the one she'd inflicted on Samir's head. But not this. The woman knew very well the dangers of being stabbed. After all, it was something she had done so herself to others in the past.</p>
<p>She had to get him to safety. To a hospital. A medic or a nurse, someone who could help him. Minya was a two day ride away with a horse. Cairo was even further away. How long would Samir be able to stay awake? Would his horse be able to carry the two of them?</p>
<p>Samir hissed between his teeth, he tried his best not to scream but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep quiet. The pain was excruciating, unlike anything he'd ever felt before.</p>
<p>"Zahrah." He gasped.</p>
<p>"Sh, shush, Samir. Don't talk. You need to keep your strength." Elisabeth cooed him. He reached for her face but his arm was weak and flopped back down next to his side.</p>
<p>"My tribe." He uttered. "They're close. Take me to them."</p>
<p>His family was nearby? Immediately she tilted her head back and looked around the area. There was not a light in sight, except for the stars and the moon. A missing horse and two dead Englishmen. The Medjai were probably not near enough to have heard the gun go off, let alone any of their screams in the darkness of the night.</p>
<p>"How close?" She asked Samir.</p>
<p>He didn't reply immediately. A short wail escaped his lips and Elisabeth pressed her hand against the wound. Samir licked his chapped lips and finally spoke. "Half,-"</p>
<p>"Half a day?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>Half a day. It was closer than any other place, but did his tribe have the option to treat him? She had no idea how deep the cut was and blood was still coming out. Who knew what else they did to him before Elisabeth got out of the tent.</p>
<p>what if he needed surgery or medicine? She remembered the time she helped Samir to get medicine for his mother who had a fever. His own tribe didn't even had that lying around at the time.</p>
<p>Of course that was a few years ago, perhaps they had made sure by now to have a proper supply of medication at their disposal. But was she willing to take that risk? Wouldn't it be safer to ride out to Minya and get him to a hospital instead?</p>
<p>"Samir,-" She began. "Minya has a hospita,-"</p>
<p>"No." He interrupted her and started to cough.</p>
<p>"Okay, okay." Elisabeth shushed him.</p>
<p>She'd have to wrap something tightly around his chest in order to stop the bleeding. She helped him to sit down before reaching for her top and began to take it off. Folding it quickly, she pressed it against his wound, reached for his hands and placed them on top of it.</p>
<p>"Try to press against this, alright? I'm going to find something to make a bandage."</p>
<p>Samir didn't reply, but Elisabeth was certain he understood her as he kept his hands in the same location where hers had been. She stood up from the ground and walked over to her bag. The entire place was a mess, their makeshift tent was still in one piece.</p>
<p>She crouched down and reached for her bag, searching inside for something sturdy, yet soft enough for her to cut or tear apart if needed. Eventually she pulled out her white cotton nightgown. It was long enough and if she tore it in a certain way, she would be able to create one long piece of fabric.</p>
<p>She searched the area for something to cut it with and paused when she spotted the knife Samir had thrown at Greg. Elisabeth shuddered but reached for the weapon and made after a few yanks managed to pull it out. Blood hit her in the face and for a second she gagged loudly.</p>
<p>Making her way back to Samir, Elisabeth sat down next to him and began to cut the fabric. After a minute she'd managed to create a rather sloppy, but long cloth in one piece. Next, she tore a part off her skirt to replace her, now red, blouse.</p>
<p>Samir winched and cried out as Elisabeth wiped some of the blood away with the last remaining canteen of water, which she had taken from the tent. The man whispered something along the lines of 'save it', but Elisabeth did not want to wrap him up if the wound was covered with blood and desert sand.</p>
<p>With effort, and lots of groaning from Samir, she succeeded in wrapping her ruined nightgown around his upper body. He slumped against her once again, his breathing raspy and she could feel his heartbeat against her own body. She had to get him on his horse.</p>
<p>That was probably going to be the more tricky part. Not to mention she'd have to keep him from falling off. Her eyes scanned the area and she cursed the darkness once again that night.</p>
<p>She needed something to tie him against her. Perhaps even tie him to the saddle so he wouldn't topple over. She gently pulled him back and moved his long hair out of his face. "Can you stand?"</p>
<p>Samir blinked multiple times, as if for a second he'd lost consciousness. "Stand?" He repeated.</p>
<p>"We need to get you on your horse." She explained to him.</p>
<p>"Sawsan." Samir said softly.</p>
<p>"Sorry?" Elisabeth frowned at him.</p>
<p>"Her name is Sawsan."</p>
<p>"I know that." She replied at his unnecessary comment.</p>
<p>Elisabeth don't know how they had done it, but somehow Samir managed to get up on his feet, he whistled and the white horse came to his side. Now all they had to do was for the two of them to get on the back of her. But Samir's horse wasn't a dumb creature and it was almost as if it knew what they were asking.</p>
<p>She leaned back in order to lower the front part of her body. Samir didn't have the strength at the moment to climb on her, but this made everything a whole lot easier.</p>
<p>After a little bit of a struggle, Samir was finally sitting on top of Sawsan's back and the horse stood tall once again. That was one hurdle they'd overcome, now Elisabeth had to find something to tie Samir around her body.</p>
<p>He was already slouching on the horse's back and Elisabeth was convinced he would probably fall off at some point if she didn't get on there with him.</p>
<p>"Wait here." She told him as she walked back to the firepit which by now had almost gone out.</p>
<p>The only thing she could find was a half burnt up piece of rope they'd used to bind some bags together. However, it would be her best option. Better to have something long enough to keep them tied together than nothing at all.</p>
<p>She untangled the rope and took it with her, but before she went back to Samir, she double checked every pocket she could find on the two Englishmen. Samir said it would take about half a day to reach his family.</p>
<p>But how long would it really be? Elisabeth had no idea for how long Sawsan would be able to carry the two of them. Not to mention they had barely any water left.</p>
<p>She tucked everything away in Sawsan's saddlebags before awkward and clumsily climbing onto the saddle. The moment she was finally sat in a comfortable manner, Samir slumped against her back. It was a rather awkward position, but she wouldn't be able to reach the reigns if she was to sit behind Samir instead of in front of him.</p>
<p>"Don't you dare pass out on me, Samir." She hissed at him.</p>
<p>A faint chuckle escaped his lips. "You sound just like akhi."</p>
<p>Elisabeth ignored that comment. She knew Ardeth well enough to know she was nothing like the man. Without saying another word, she wiggled the rope around the two of them and tied it in a tight knot in front of her stomach. There was not much she could do for now except hope that they would make it to the Medjai quickly.</p>
<p>"Which way do I go to, Samir?"</p>
<p>Samir raised his arm in a trembling motion and pointed to the right. "Sawsan knows the way. Do not worry, Zahrah." His arm dropped and she felt his weight press on her even more. Elisabeth reached back and forced Samir to place his arms around her waist.</p>
<p>"You just hold onto me, okay? No falling and most definitely no dying." She could only feel his arms around her body, but there was no reassuring squeeze or any form of strength detectable.</p>
<p>"At least I finally managed to hold you in my arms." He whispered against her neck.</p>
<p>Of all the time to make jokes about how he felt about her, this was the worst moment of all. "That is not funny."</p>
<p>Samir groaned but despite the pain he was in, he huffed at her. "I know. Guess it runs in the family. Neither me nor akhi are good with words when it comes to women."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Safe in the desert</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Half a day's journey to the Medjai camp. Half a day he said. Elisabeth coughed loudly and tilted her head back to look up at the sky. The moon was still visible though faintly as it was already starting its descent towards the horizon. The tip of the sun peeked over a sand dune in the distance, spreading a blanket of golden glow across the lower part of the sky.</p>
<p>It was a beautiful sight, but the situation she was currently in wasn't. Samir had been quiet for the past hour. At least, she figured it was an hour, there was no way for her to tell, but it had been completely dark last he said anything. She wondered how long it would take for the sun to fully rise. A minute, perhaps two?</p>
<p>Sawsan had begun to walk in a steady pace instead of a fast trot. The trot made Elisabeth wobble in her saddle too much for comfort, causing a minor fear to settle in the pit of her stomach that if she wasn't careful Samir might fall off at some point. If that happened she would fall right along with him due to the rope holding the two of them together.</p>
<p>But it could very well be the other way around, as Elisabeth was probably one of the worst riders ever in history. Samir could probably sleep on his horse without taking a tumble, unlike her.</p>
<p>She licked her chapped lips, but didn't dare to take a sip from the water. She needed it for Samir. Which reminded her, now was a good moment to stop and give him some. It had been a while. Elisabeth tugged on the reigns and the horse halted almost immediately.</p>
<p>"Samir?" She whispered and glanced over her shoulder.</p>
<p>The Medjai's face was hidden underneath his headwear. Somewhere during their trip through the desert, the piece of cloth had begun to unravel, at least he was protected from the sun. As he rested quietly against her shoulder, she could hear his raspy breathing and she didn't like the sound of it.</p>
<p>"Samir, wake up." She said a bit louder, but he didn't budge.</p>
<p>"Samir?!" Elisabeth moved her arm in an uncomfortable manner in order to pat him on his back to the best of her abilities.</p>
<p>A low moan came from him. "Mmm."</p>
<p>Words no longer crossed his lips. But he was alive. She lifted the water skin and held it against his lips. Tilted her hand and couple of drops fell into his mouth and down his throat. Carefully she lowered her arm, making sure not to spill too many drops of water.</p>
<p>"There." A weak smile formed on Elisabeth's face. "You'll be alright."</p>
<p>However, Samir didn't respond. His eyelids flickered and for a split second they opened up, but soon closed again. The Medjai collapsed against her back. There was no spark or energy left within him and it scared her more than anything else ever had.</p>
<p>"Don't die, Samir." She whispered softly. Even if she would raise her voice, he probably wouldn't register it but she needed to say it for her own comfort. "Don't you dare die on me."</p>
<p>The sun had crawled out from behind the large sand dune by now and the sky was finally turning to a more brighter blue instead of the dark navy colour it had been during the night.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Elisabeth didn't have anything with her to protect her from the sun. It was bearable at the moment, but how long before her skin would start to feel irritated from the bright rays. Sure she had lived in Cairo for over half her life, yet she kept her skin out of the sun most of the time by wearing long sleeves or a hat.</p>
<p>None of these were available. She'd given her shirt to Samir to soak up some of the blood from his wound, leaving her with only a short sleeved undershirt. Her skirt was torn because of that Brit when he pulled her to the ground. She'd left her sash behind as well as the rest of her clothes.</p>
<p>It was her own fault forgetting them. Getting Samir away from their small camp and to his people as quick as possible was more important than a couple of garments. None of that would matter if this journey was going to take any longer. As soon as the sun reached midway, both of them were doomed to not survive today.</p>
<p>A shuddering breath escaped her and she felt her eyes sting with warm tears. A lump formed in her throat, which she then quickly swallowed away. She had to find them, she just had to. For both their sakes. But most of all for the man leaning against her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her body swayed slightly from left to right, she was aware of it, but the thought to stop never crossed her mind. It was rather unfair to the creature she was sitting upon, but Elisabeth had no desire stand still. Not until they found the Medjai camp. Besides feeling moving meant she was still alive. At least for one of them.</p>
<p>It wasn't until her head bobbed dangerously forward that the horse automatically stopped and Elisabeth emitted a soft gasp. The drowsiness was becoming an actual problem now as well as the struggle to keep her eyes open and focus on what was ahead. She couldn't count on the horse to do these things for her.</p>
<p>"<em>Nur die harten kommen in den garten." </em>She mumbled underneath her breath. "We can't give up, Sawsan. It won't be too far,- I hope."</p>
<p>Unless she had managed to have gone in a complete other direction, but Samir's instructions had been clear and if she had gone wrong it was not her fault. Because everything around her looked exactly the same. The only guidance she had was the sun and the four legged animal underneath her behind.</p>
<p>But Sawsan didn't move just yet. She stood completely still, except for her ears which turned slightly. Elisabeth narrowed her eyes and looked around them. There was nothing there except for miles and miles of sand and hills.</p>
<p>Suddenly without warning the horse jolted forward. Elisabeth let out a loud shriek and fell against the creature's manes. She was running incredibly fast, faster than the woman had seen her done since they left camp. Had something spooked Sawsan? Or was this the sign of hope Elisabeth had been waiting for?</p>
<p>She held on to the reigns as tight as she could, her knuckles turning white. <em>Please, let it be the Medjai. Let it be them. </em>She closed her eyes as she prayed to whatever God or Goddess was willing to listen to her.</p>
<p>And that was when she saw it. Shimmering objects in the distance. Her heart sank a little. A figment of her imagination was not something she needed right now. But apparently the horse thought otherwise as she did not reduce her speed.</p>
<p>The closer they got to the object, the clearer it got. Soon the shimmering was gone and Elisabeth recognized the shapes as tents. Tents of elaborate colours and various patterns. Some bright and some pale. Stripes, swirly lines and diamond shapes. This had to be the Medjai camp. It had to be.</p>
<p>"Stop!" A loud voice boomed in Arabic. He then proceeded to say more, but it was a dialect she had never heard before. The only word she recognised was, who.</p>
<p>Elisabeth had been so caught up with finally seeing a sign of life that she missed two men clad in black robes approaching her. The markings on their faces, as well as their clothes, was all the proof she needed.</p>
<p>"Please!" Elisabeth said hoarsely. "Samir is hurt. I am looking for your chieftain or his mother Dalila,-" Her voice cracked. They'd made it. Finally after what seemed like forever, they had reached the Medjai tribe.</p>
<p>One of the men yelled something at his friend, but Elisabeth couldn't make out what it was. They both lowered their weapons and Elisabeth let go of the breath she'd been holding, her chest heaving up and down. Quickly she turned her head to glance over her shoulder to look at Samir, see if he was moving. But the man remained motionless.</p>
<p>"Samir,-" She whispered. "We made it. We're here. Your mama and akhi are coming."</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt!"</p>
<p>At the sound of Ardeth's voice, Elisabeth's bottom lip began to quiver. All was going to be well now. They were here, he was here. His people were going to take care of Samir. Heal him, fix his wounds and patch him up.</p>
<p>"Ardeth,-" Elisabeth breathed as the dark haired Medjai chieftain halted next to Sawsan.</p>
<p>His eyes widened at the sight before him. Elisabeth looked terrible. There was blood on her skin and on her clothes. Her skirt was ripped, exposing her legs all the way up to her thigh. He could see bruises on them and sunburn on her face and shoulders..</p>
<p>But when he saw Samir, his heart stopped. his younger brother was pale and slumped against Elisabeth's back. He squinted his eyes and noticed a rope tied around the two of them, binding them together.</p>
<p>Elisabeth followed his eyes and quickly began to untangle the knot in front of her body. Immediately Ardeth ordered for the two Medjai behind him to grab his brother and help him down. The rope fell to the ground and they quickly managed to pull Samir down from Sawsan.</p>
<p>Samir was unresponsive during all of it. His head flopped from left to right, like a puppet. Elisabeth clenched her jaw as she watched her friend being carried away quickly towards one of the tents. Had she been too late? Her heart jumped as a loud high-pitched wail erupted from the tent Samir had disappeared into.</p>
<p>Ardeth turned his head towards his tribe. It seemed as though he was contemplating on what to do next. Stay where he was or hurray and make his way towards his little brother.</p>
<p>"Go."</p>
<p>He looked up at the golden haired woman on his brother's horse.</p>
<p>"Go, on. Go to Samir." Elisabeth said again. "I will come."</p>
<p>Ardeth opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. But ultimately pressed them together, nodded at her and made his way towards the tent where they'd taken his brother. Elisabeth watched as he vanished and her eyes began to water. A soft whimper escaped the threshold of her lips and she quietly cried.</p>
<p>The Medjai tribe folk watched on as she made her way past the collection of tents on Sawsan. Elisabeth stopped a couple of feet from the tent Ardeth had gone into and managed to get off the tall horse albeit in a rather ungraceful manner..</p>
<p>Elisabeth touched the sand with her feet, it would appear she'd lost a shoe. When had that happened? It didn't matter when or where she'd lost it. The one thing she currently did not want to lose was Samir. She limped towards the entrance and moved the large cloth obscuring the inside of the tent aside.</p>
<p>It was quite crowded in the tent, which also turned out to be bigger on the inside than she'd initially thought. She spotted Samir's location quickly thanks to the amount of people gathered in the back. A group of women, Ardeth and one elderly fellow. The Medjai chieftain was holding his brother's hand and some of the women were weeping.</p>
<p>From this distance Elisabeth could see that her friend's eyes were still closed and his skin incredibly pale. Had he even moved at all since they took him of his horse? Slowly the woman stepped forward only to be stopped by a group of rather burly looking men dressed in those long black Medjai robes. They said nothing to her, instead they just stood there blocking her path and view.</p>
<p>Because of this she hadn't seen Ardeth leave his spot next to Samir to head her way. His voice was loud and deep and two of the men stepped aside to let him through. There was a woman standing next to him. Ardeth nodded and the unfamiliar lady walked over to Elisabeth and bowed her head.</p>
<p>"She will help you." He told her.</p>
<p>Elisabeth frowned at him with confusion. "Help me? No, I need to see Samir."</p>
<p>She was about to move when the four large guards shouted something in a dialect Elisabeth did not understand. Ardeth replied with an equal threatening sounding command and they stopped. Samir's brother lowered his arm and glared at the foreign woman.</p>
<p>"You will listen while you are amongst my people." His tone was harsh but his gaze quickly softened when he noticed the effect it had on her.</p>
<p>A sense of guilt suddenly hit him. It was obvious something terrible had happened, not only to his brother but to Elisabeth as well. He didn't mean to yell at her, but he had to stick to the rules of his tribe. He was the chief after all.</p>
<p>"Zahrah." A woman showed up behind Ardeth. Her voice soft and old.</p>
<p>Elisabeth locked eyes with her. She looked a bit like Menna, but thinner and her skin more tanned. Her dark brown hair was covered with a piece of sheer purple fabric. Fabric she had seen before. It was like the shawls Samir had bought for her at the market all those months ago when she needed to hide herself from the curator's ever watchful eyes. But apart from the familiarity of the garment, there was a striking similarity between the old woman and Ardeth Bay.</p>
<p>"Dalila?" Elisabeth narrowed her eyes as the woman grabbed her hand.</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>Finally Elisabeth's knees gave away and she fell to the ground right in front of Samir and Ardeth's mother. Dalila talked to her, but for the life of her Elisabeth couldn't understand any of it. It was Arabic, she was certain of that, but the dialect was one she had never heard before.</p>
<p>Elisabeth turned her head towards Ardeth who was already looking at her and his mother. His expression did not reveal what was currently going through his mind. Within a second he snapped his fingers and she then felt two strong arms slither underneath her body.</p>
<p>The warm grasp of Dalila's hand vanished as one of the guard carried Elisabeth out of the tent. She didn't even bother to protest. Whether that was because she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere or because she simply couldn't due to fatigue, she didn't know. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath and let herself be transported to wherever it was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Ai!" Elisabeth hissed through her teeth as one of the tribe's women patted her cheek with a wet cloth.</p>
<p>The woman spoke to her softly as if to comfort her, but she couldn't understand most of it. Samir never mentioned before that his people spoke a different dialect than what was used in Cairo. It was incredibly frustrating for someone like Elisabeth who spoke more than one language herself and therefore was able to communicate with all sorts of people most of the time.</p>
<p>The only reason why it was maddening at this particular moment was because she wanted to know about Samir. How was he doing, had they made it to the camp in time, but most importantly, was he still alive?</p>
<p>Elisabeth closed her eyes as she let herself get taken care of. She doubted the cut on her cheek was in need of sutures, or maybe it was more of a hope. Somehow she didn't have high expectations when it came to the Medjai tribe and their way of care taking. After all she had to fetch medicine for Samir one time when his mother had fallen ill.</p>
<p>Thinking of that made her realize she should have been more firm with her friend when he ordered her to head for his people instead of riding back to Minya. But then again based on how she felt after trekking through the desert for only half a day with a dying Samir, she knew this had been the better choice. The lesser of two evils.</p>
<p>The woman grabbed her chin and gentle dabbed a wet kerchief against her lips. Elisabeth could only imagine what she must look like. Clothes torn in various places, bruises on her skin, Samir's blood on her hands and Lord knows where else. Compared to Samir things weren't that bad. He'd been punched, knocked down and stabbed.</p>
<p>Her eyes suddenly widened and without warning she jumped up from the floor. She had to tell Ardeth what happened. Where his brother had been hurt aside from the obvious wound above his chest. The Brits had hit him multiple times in his stomach, what if he was bleeding internally? She darted towards the front of the tent and through the flap aside.</p>
<p>She collided against a tall and broad man, looking up she recognised him as the guy who'd carried her away from Ardeth earlier. Next to him stood another man. It would appear the two of them had been put there to stand guard. Probably to make sure she wasn't getting anywhere for the time being.</p>
<p>"I need to see your chief."</p>
<p>Elisabeth straightened herself and spoke sternly in Arabic. The guards threw a quick glance at each other and Elisabeth was pretty certain they understood her perfectly. The familiar one shook his head.</p>
<p>"We are here to make sure you stay. The chief can not be seen at this moment. He will come when the time is right." He replied his eyes lowered for a second but quickly moved back to meet her gaze.</p>
<p>"I need to tell him something important. It is about his brother. It is a matter of life and death!" Her voice trembled and quickly Elisabeth cleared her throat.</p>
<p>She had to convince this man that she needed to see Ardeth or at least get a message to him about what other types of injuries Samir might be suffering from. It was going to be the latter because it was apparent this man was not going to let her pass.</p>
<p>"Please, you have to inform the chief that his brother might be bleeding internally. He was punched in the,-"</p>
<p>Her words got cut off as a large hand grabbed her arm and forcefully pushed her back into the tent. Elisabeth stumbled back as the man who had pushed her shouted something at the other woman. She nodded and placed gently grabbed hold of Elisabeth's shoulders.</p>
<p>"No, let me go!" She turned her head towards the entrance and caught the eyes of the friendlier guard. "Tell your chief! Please!"</p>
<p>The tent flap closed and Elisabeth let out a soft sob as she was guided back towards the ground with help from the other woman. Had the guard understood her words correctly? If so, was he even going to head over to Ardeth to tell him what she said to him? All she could do was hope that Samir was doing okay and that he was at least still alive.</p>
<p>Elisabeth cursed herself. She should have asked them about Samir's condition. However there was not telling if the guards outside the tent even knew what state Samir was in. The only things left to do now was wait for Ardeth to show up with some good news.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The water was cold, but in spite of that surprisingly welcome on her warm and partially burned skin. Elisabeth stayed quiet as the woman, who she'd learned was named Yara, scrubbed the sand and dirt from her body. Elisabeth had begun to assume the woman was actually some kind of nurse or assistant to the village doctor as she really treated her like some sort of patient.</p>
<p>Yara avoided every bruise she came across while washing Elisabeth carefully with the rugged sponge. There were more cuts and scrapes than Elisabeth realized and the dark-haired Medjai female checked each one of them and tended them quickly but thoroughly. She also reckoned Yara was only a little older than she was. Give or take a decade at the very most.</p>
<p>As the German girl sat there in the small wooden tub, she closed her eyes and listened to Yara as she hummed softly behind her. She had no idea how much time had passed since arriving at the camp, but it couldn't be more than an hour or two and still there had been no sign of Ardeth. Patience wasn't her forte, but in this case she doubted even the most composed person could withstand waiting this long.</p>
<p>"Mmm."</p>
<p>She winced slightly as Yara started to massage her back. The woman said something but Elisabeth couldn't really make out what she meant. Something about the colour red and blue. Probably another bruise. She leaned back into Yara's touch and let the woman work her magic on her battered body. But before she had the time to finally relax and divert her troubled mind, a loud voice boomed from the front of the tent. It was one of the guards.</p>
<p>Yara jumped away immediately towards the noise, leaving a confused and rather shocked Elisabeth alone in the tub. The woman went outside and spoke in a rapid manner at the guards. It didn't take long for her to return and when she did her face flustered.</p>
<p>She picked up something dark blue looking from a nearby chair as she headed back to the tub. She moved her hands frantically at Elisabeth, ushering her to get out of the water.</p>
<p>The blue thing she'd picked up turned out to be some kind of robe. As soon as she got up Yara draped it over her shoulders and motioned for her to put it on. Elisabeth quickly did as she was ordered, all the while wondering what was going on. She soon got her answer.</p>
<p>Ardeth Bay stepped inside, his gaze immediately went to Yara and he threw her a silent look. Obviously there was a certain order or command behind that look as Yara bowed her head and hurried out of the tent without looking back at Elisabeth.</p>
<p>The robe the woman had given her didn't really manage to do what it was meant for, which was cover her naked and still wet body from the Medjai before her. Rather awkwardly she couldn't find any way to wrap it around her properly, there was no tie accompanied with it.</p>
<p>Elisabeth suspected there might be a hook somewhere on the inside to close the robe, but there was no way she would be able to do that crossed her arms in front of her body, hoping that would suffice in keeping the satin piece of clothing in its place.</p>
<p>"Samir?" She asked quietly searching the Medjai's eyes for a hint on his brother's well-being.</p>
<p>"He's alive." Ardeth replied. He sounded out of breath as if he'd been running on his way over from one tent to the other.</p>
<p>Elisabeth let our a sigh of relief. "<em>Gott sei Dank. </em>Thank God. Can I see him?"</p>
<p>But when Ardeth remained quiet, she cocked her head and frowned. She took a couple of steps and stopped right in front of him. "What's wrong?"</p>
<p>She widened her eyes and moved one of her hands in front of her mouth. "Is he dying?"</p>
<p>"No,-" The Medjai said quickly, yet his expression soon turned grim. "What I mean is, we're not sure. He is breathing, not as he should, but better than when you brought him to us. He regained consciousness for a little while."</p>
<p>"He did?" Elisabeth lowered her arm and pressed her hand against her chest. "You must let me see him."</p>
<p>This time Ardeth answered her with a shake of his head. "He's asleep. You can see him tomorrow."</p>
<p>Tomorrow? There was no way she would be able to wait that long. If Ardeth was worried that she was going to wake Samir or anything, he was mistaken. Perhaps there was another reason behind his reluctance. Maybe he blamed her for what happened to his younger brother. After all, compared to Samir there wasn't much wrong with her apart from bumps, bruises and cuts.</p>
<p>"Not tomorrow. Please, Ardeth. I promise I will be quiet. I,- I just need to see him for myself." Her bottom lip trembled and she quickly pressed her teeth on them to stop it from quivering.</p>
<p>When she said his name earlier it stirred something within him. Hearing her say his name now for the second time send a clear and intense jolt through his body. She never called him by his name before. Always calling him Chieftain Bay.</p>
<p>The relation between the two of them was business first and nothing else. But when he saw her on Samir's horse, tired, scarcely dressed and hurt, he wanted nothing more than to help her down and take care of her. Until he saw Samir and his brotherly instinct took over.</p>
<p>He still had no idea what had happened after they left Minya. But from the very little information Samir was able to provide him with, Elisabeth had saved his life. Ardeth wasn't sure in what way exactly, but it was clear she'd bandaged his wound and made sure he got home to his tribe.</p>
<p>He wanted to know everything. How Samir got stabbed to the near point of death. How Elisabeth got that cut on her face and those bruises on her body. But those were questions that had to wait. The most important thing now was to make sure his brother made it through the night. That was something he couldn't tell the woman in front of him. There was still a chance he could die and Ardeth didn't want anybody else to know yet.</p>
<p>"I promise you. Tomorrow you will see him as soon as the sun rises. I will wake you myself." He told her calmly.</p>
<p>But of course she wasn't going to listen to him. She never did. "How am I suppose to sleep when I have no idea how he is doing?"</p>
<p>Ardeth sighed with frustration. "I just told you of his condition. That should suffice. You've done your part, there is nothing else you can do to help him more than you already have."</p>
<p>"I should have shot those men sooner. I waited too long. If I'd only been a little bit quicker then Samir wouldn't have been,-"</p>
<p>Elisabeth stopped and walked away from him. She halted in front of a low bench and sat down on it, her head turned away. It was clear she wasn't going to see Samir anytime soon. Maybe Ardeth was right about that, but she wanted to see him so much. Especially since she felt it was mostly her fault that he got hurt.</p>
<p>The soft shuffling of footsteps across a carpet sounded from her left and then stopped. She looked up to see Ardeth standing close. His expression was warm but also seemed rather sad.</p>
<p>"You care a lot for him, do you not?" He asked although it didn't really sound like a question.</p>
<p>"Of course I do. I've known him for so long, how could I not?"</p>
<p>Ardeth cleared his throat and suddenly sat down next to her. "I believe my brother is very fond of you."</p>
<p><em>Oh no. </em>No, this was not something Elisabeth wanted to discuss with him or anybody else for that matter. It had already been difficult enough to make it clear to Samir she had no desire to be anything more to him other than a dear friend. She didn't want anybody else to have something to say on that either.</p>
<p>"I know." Her voice was almost a whisper as she lowered her eyes and glanced at her hands. "He's told me."</p>
<p>"He has? When?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth turned her head and stared into Ardeth's dark eyes. "It doesn't matter. He knows how I feel about it."</p>
<p>"How do you feel about it?"</p>
<p>"That's none of your business, Ardeth." She was about to move away again but something pressed on top of her shoulder.</p>
<p>"My apologies. You're right it isn't my place. Forget I asked."</p>
<p>And even though he knew it was unfair of him to have asked it, a part of him still wanted to know. Perhaps it was better to ask more important questions, now that he was there. Even though he told himself it was better to wait until tomorrow, he didn't want to leave the quiet and private situation he was currently in.</p>
<p>"Elisabeth,-" He said. It felt a bit odd saying her real name and even Elisabeth looked at him a bit surprised. "Will you tell me what happened?"</p>
<p>She nodded and began to tell everything that had happened. From Minya until today and as she spoke, Ardeth's hand had unconsciously slipped down and rested on her lower arm for the duration of the story.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. What is love?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Elisabeth wasn't a hundred percent sure where she was. Her bed didn't feel the same. It wasn't as soft and it smelled different too. But the amount of pillows and cushions surrounding her head was something she could get used to. She opened her eyes and the first thing she looked at was the ceiling. It wasn't made out of wood, nor were there any drapes hanging from her canopy bed. In fact, this hardly resembled the type of bed she was used to.</p>
<p>Sitting upward she glanced around the room letting the memory of yesterday fill her mind. She was with the Medjai tribe, safe and sound in one of their tents. How could she have forgotten that? Her body ached, as well as her head. Everything felt stiff. Reaching up, she touched her face and flinched when her fingers stroked the cut in her cheek. It was still sore, but not as bad as how the rest of her.</p>
<p>It seemed the sun was already up, shining it's way through the beige coloured fabric of the tent. Why was she still here? Hadn't Ardeth promised her that he would wake her as soon as the dawn had come? It was clear that he hadn't. A heave feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, could this mean something had happened to Samir?</p>
<p>Elisabeth threw the cover aside and quickly got up from the thick and sturdy futon she'd been sleeping on. She began to search for something she could wear, other than the silken robe the young woman named Yara had given her. Her own clothes were long gone. Yara had thrown them out. Her current outfit was anything but decent compared to the clothes the other women wore. Could she really head outside looking like this?</p>
<p>"For heaven's sake, what does it matter." She exclaimed under her breath grabbing a random khayamiya from the floor.</p>
<p>Normally this large pieces of fabric were used to decorate the in and outside of tribal tents. But it would suffice as a makeshift garment for now. Throwing it around her shoulders, hiding as much as she possible could, Elisabeth made her way out through the front of the tent.</p>
<p>It was quiet, with no guards guarding the entrance. Elisabeth had expected them to still be there. They had been last night after Ardeth left her to have a meal and some well deserved rest. She was relieved she didn't have to deal with those broad shouldered Medjai now, but there was still the matter of finding Samir's tent.</p>
<p>To her recollection, the guy who had carried her had walked in a straight line. Only considering what she was currently seeing if front of her, that had not been possible. It seemed her tent was sort of tucked away between a couple of others. Had it been like this yesterday? Despite all the different colours and patterns, she couldn't recall what Samir's tent looked like.</p>
<p>Not willing to give up, Elisabeth began her quest to locate her friend. Initially she thought it was going to become quite the task to find him. But the longer she walked, more like dragged herself forward, the more she noticed how some tents differed from one another. The shapes were all the same, but there was a distinction the patterns drawn on the fabric as well as the size.</p>
<p>The largest and most round tent stood at the end of an open space. Immediately she reckoned this was where she had stopped and gotten off Sawsan yesterday. As she stood there at the edge of the clearing, she scanned her surroundings and noticed two familiar faces standing in front of the larger tent. Elisabeth wouldn't claim she was a genius, but she was no dummy either. There was no doubt in her mind that behind those two she would find Samir.</p>
<p>Only she knew there was no way they were going to let her inside and even if they did, they would probably alert Ardeth before she would be allowed in on her own. She was not in the mood to see the Medjai chief, especially after he had failed to keep his promise to wake her. Glancing over her shoulder, Elisabeth walked back and circled around the inner tents until she arrived on the other side of Samir's tent.</p>
<p>There was no way of telling if he was there and she also didn't want to alert or scare anybody who might be with him. So the woman dropped herself on her stomach and lifted the bottom of the tent to peek inside. Luckily she didn't have to look far for her friend. He was on his back and only a couple of feet away from her. But the way he looked worried her immediately. His skin had lost its colour and she could even see tiny beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.</p>
<p>As quick as she could, Elisabeth wiggled her way forward crawling underneath the tent making her way inside. Hopefully nobody had seen her. Thankfully nobody else was in the tent, except for Samir. Within two seconds she was at his side. Placing one of her hands on his chest, she blinked her eyes which were beginning to feel rather warm. His breathing sounded better, thought still rather rapid as if getting air into his lungs took a bit of an effort.</p>
<p>"Samir?" She said.</p>
<p>Unlike yesterday, Samir responded this time. He turned his head and slowly his eyes opened.</p>
<p>"Zahrah?" He breathed.</p>
<p>"Hello." Elisabeth smiled but her voice cracked as she spoke. "How are you feeling?"</p>
<p>"Mmm." He gulped and licked his lips. "Better."</p>
<p>She didn't believe it. Furrowing her brow she moved closer and leaned over him, carefully moving the cover away from his shoulder. He'd been stabbed in the soft tissue between his chest and armpit. Any further down the other end and who knew what could have happened. Elisabeth didn't want to think about it. However it would seem that Samir had been properly patched up, for she couldn't see the wound, nor any blood trickling through the bandage he was wrapped up in.</p>
<p>The urge to pull the blanket down even further entered her mind, but she knew Samir would probably not appreciate it if she did that. Even if it was only meant to check the rest of him. After all, she'd seen him get kicked in the stomach. She had no idea of the man who'd treated him had realized this.</p>
<p>"You?" Samir's voice was soft, but still had that rough edge to it.</p>
<p>"Me? How I'm feeling?" Elisabeth asked and he nodded.</p>
<p>She wasn't feeling alright but could she tell him that? She wasn't hurt, not compared to him. Her body was bruised and burnt from the sun. The pain on the outside would pass soon enough with rest and time. No, it was on the inside that hurt her so much more. Seeing Samir like this, transporting him across the desert while he was on the verge of possible death. She knew he would tell her that none of it had been her fault, but why did it feel like it was?</p>
<p>Her bottom lip quivered and she buried her face against his chest as soft sobs escaped her. Samir didn't say a word. He couldn't even if he wanted to. He'd never seen her like this. With what little strength he'd managed to gather overnight, he rested his hand on her head and rubbed her hair with his fingers while closing his eyes.</p>
<p>Samir wasn't really sure what happened after leaving their camp in the desert. He remembered sitting on Sawsan, with Elisabeth in front of him. Her voice buzzing in his head, not being able to make out what she'd been saying. In all honesty, he had thought that was going to be it. That he wasn't going to make it and neither would she.</p>
<p>The two of them riding through the dunes and large sand hills on the back of his horse. Riding until the sun was set high in the sky and fatigue and thirst would take the upper hand and death would claim them. Dying together, just him and her.</p>
<p>Only death hadn't come and they were still alive. Although Samir didn't feel very much alive. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, it was something he'd never experienced before. Not like this at least. Somehow getting shot wasn't the same as having a knife plunged into your body. With a bullet you knew your fate rather quickly, but not with a blade it seemed.</p>
<p>Finally Elisabeth turned her head to look at him. "I thought you were going to die." She whispered.</p>
<p>She wasn't the only one. He had thought so too. The upper right corner of his mouth twitched. "Never."</p>
<p>"You'd better not. Who will I be able to annoy then?"</p>
<p>It was a lame joke and she knew it, but she had no idea what else to say. What was there to say? Living her life without Samir being there? She couldn't imagine it and she didn't want to experience it either. She moved backwards and sat up straight causing Samir's hand fell down her back.</p>
<p>"Don't,-" He muttered.</p>
<p>"Don't?" Elisabeth repeated leaning closer towards his face.</p>
<p>"Stay here."</p>
<p>She had no intention of leaving. Elisabeth honestly didn't care if anybody found out she had managed to sneak past everyone and crawled under the tent in order to get to Samir.</p>
<p>"I won't." She assured him.</p>
<p>Samir let out a shuddering breath. It was comforting having her here with him. A pleasant distraction to take his mind off the pain. He liked how she fussed over him whenever something bad happened to him. Like that time when she knocked him out of a window. But that had been different, because he hadn't been on the verge of death then.</p>
<p>If he had known that this was going to happen to him, he definitely wouldn't have made that promise to her back in Cairo. The promise that he wouldn't try to kiss her again unless she asked him to. He was starting to think that day was never going to come. Samir had known her for five years now and in those years he had never seen her go after another man.</p>
<p>Of course he wasn't around her all the time, but she never even talked or looked at other men in his presence. But he had seen her use her charm on others. It was her weapon. Persuasion, the use of words, different personas. She could take any shape or form in order to get what she want.</p>
<p>But the way she was now, the way she always was when she was with him, that was her true self. Clumsy and a little rude. Head-strong and stubborn. Caring and even a little insecure. But most of all straightforward. Never afraid to speak her mind.</p>
<p>He watched as Elisabeth shifted in her spot and she sat up straight. Her eyes were a bit puffy from having quietly cried on top of him. Samir couldn't help but smile a little.</p>
<p>He was fully aware that she told him she didn't love him, not in the way that lovers did. Which was the main reason why he had made that promise of not kissing her unless she wanted him to. But he was beginning to wonder if perhaps she didn't really understand the meaning of the word love or what it felt like to be in love.</p>
<p>"Zahrah?"</p>
<p>She turned her head towards him. Her blue-green eyes locking with his. "Yes?"</p>
<p>Samir wanted to move, but his current condition was prohibiting him from doing so. It was clear this was not the time for him to be doing that which he wanted to do. So instead, he moved his arm and searched for her hand. Luckily she caught the hint and placed hers on top of his.</p>
<p>"Do you need something?" She asked, her brow furrowed.</p>
<p>He stayed quiet on purpose, taking his time to linger in this moment. Looking at her, watching her concerned expression shift into confusion. If this was not love, then what was it?</p>
<p>She searched his eyes. "Samir?"</p>
<p>"Anti gameelah." He let out a deep breath. <em>You are beautiful. </em></p>
<p>Elisabeth didn't remove her hand, but her face revealed a little shock at his unexpected comment. Her cheeks felt rather warm all of a sudden. Flushed. She licked her lips, ready to reply yet it had been such an out of the blue response that she sat there stumped. However she wasn't given a chance to reply at all. A familiar voice sounded from the front of the tent.</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt."</p>
<p>Ardeth stood in the centre. Neither Samir nor Elisabeth had heard him enter and they both wondered how long he had been standing there, watching and listening. The woman leaned back and swallowed the lump which had formed in her throat. If her face hadn't been red enough already, it was surely even worse now.</p>
<p>She had to gather herself. Coming here without telling anyone suddenly seemed like the least of her problems. Her eyes flicked to Samir, who couldn't really see his brother properly from his current position. He was obviously unaware of the fact that Elisabeth had sneaked inside from the back, instead of entering through the actual entrance.</p>
<p>"How are you here?" Ardeth stared at her with great surprise.</p>
<p>The guards were positioned out front. How had she managed to get past them without noticing? He lowered his eyes and stopped once they caught sight of his younger brother and the German woman's hands resting on top of one another.</p>
<p>"How did you get past the guards?!" He asked.</p>
<p>"Magic." Elisabeth retorted.</p>
<p>"Allah,-" Frustration was written all over his face.</p>
<p>When Ardeth had gone to her tent earlier it had been empty. Except for a rather distraught Yara, who had no idea where Elisabeth was and searched high and low. Apparently looking here had slipped her mind, but not Ardeth's. He was fairly certain that this was where he would find her. Despite moving the guards from her tent to his, she still managed to get inside.</p>
<p>He'd moved them this morning at sunrise, while Elisabeth had been asleep. He watched her sleep peacefully, surrounded by a pile of large cushions. Instead of waking her, like he had promised he would, he decided it was for the best to leave her be. After what she'd told him about the attack, followed by their journey through the desert, getting rest was something she very much needed.</p>
<p>But it now seemed that she had taken matters into her own hands the moment she woke, going to his little brother herself without waiting. If he had known she was planning on doing so, he would have kept his promise of waking her.</p>
<p>"Alright, I'll tell you. I crawled inside." She finally answered.</p>
<p>Ardeth arched an eyebrow. "You crawled?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth nodded, turned her head and nodded at the khayamiya behind her. A colourful and elaborated patterned piece of fabric decorating the inside of the tent.</p>
<p>"I only had to lift it a little and was able to wiggle my way under there. Obviously I managed quite well."</p>
<p>He pressed his lips in a tight line. The way she'd done it was simple and efficient. Out of sight from the eyes of his people. Ardeth could only imagine what it must have looked like. He cleared his throat, as well as the image out of his mind.</p>
<p>"I think it's best if we let my brother get all the rest he needs, while we discuss other matters." He then said stepping closer to them.</p>
<p>Glancing down, he noticed Samir still looking rather pale. He was not out of danger yet it would seem. In fact, he looked worse now compared to this morning. But Ardeth couldn't say that out loud. He didn't want to worry Samir nor Elisabeth in case he was wrong.</p>
<p>"Please." He added, raising his head and catching the woman looking at him.</p>
<p>Thankfully, she didn't object. With one final look at Samir and a gentle reassuring squeeze on his hand, Elisabeth stood up and walked towards Ardeth, who moved aside to let her go on ahead. The Medjai chief then turned around and crouched down next to his brother.</p>
<p>"I'll sent for some food. You need your strength."</p>
<p>"Akhi..." Samir sighed and took a moment to catch his breath. "Don't let her go."</p>
<p>"Go?"</p>
<p>"To Cairo." His chest felt tight and he winched a little.</p>
<p>Ardeth wasn't sure why Samir was asking this of him. Not that he had any plans on sending Elisabeth away. The thought hadn't crossed his mind once. In his defence, there were more important matters to deal with. His brother's well-being being the main one. Wherever the woman wanted to go was the least of his concerns.</p>
<p>Then he remembered, the reason why Samir and Elisabeth travelled along the Nile and through the desert was because they had been on their way to Cairo. But not once had he stopped to ask why that had been exactly. Why travel on horseback when they could have taken a paddle steamer? What was so important that made them come to that decision?</p>
<p>He knew Samir couldn't provide him with answer. Talking drained his energy. No, there was only one other person who could give him an answer. Elisabeth Borchardt. Yet a small voice in the back of his head told him it had to do with the American. Ardeth clenched his fist and smiled at his brother.</p>
<p>"I will not let her out of my sight. She shall stay here."</p>
<p>Samir nodded slowly, happy with the answer. He closed his out and let out a deep breath. With one final glance, Ardeth stood back up and headed to the front of the tent.</p>
<p>Once he stepped outside, he immediately searched for Elisabeth. But she wasn't there. Ardeth made his way into the clearing and looked around. Where had she gone off to? He told her there were things the two of them needed to discuss, had he not? Clearly that did not mean she could go wherever she pleased.</p>
<p>He was about ready to turn back and order the guards at the tent to search for her, when he spotted her a couple of feet away from his tent and she wasn't alone. There was somebody else with her. Small of stature, but standing proud, making it seem as if she was someone of importance. Which she was. Her name was Dalila and she was one of the most respected people of his tribe. The mother of the chieftain. His mother.</p>
<p>Ardeth relaxed at the sight of the two women conversing together, although it seemed Elisabeth was having a bit of trouble understanding the older woman. It would seem the questions he had for her would have to wait. The chance of getting her away from his mother was one not likely to happen soon.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Questions unaswered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>How to go from here?</p>
<p>A question which repeated itself over and over again in his mind. Leaning back in his seat, he let his eyes roam over the book he was currently holding within his hands. The Medjai chieftain wasn't exactly proud of his behaviour. It was anything but honourable. The reason was the leather bound object in front of him. It wasn't his and yet he had still taken the liberty of reading it in its entirety.</p>
<p>He had been planning on asking Elisabeth about the American earlier and he would have gotten the chance, if his mother hadn't interrupted and taken the woman with her. Of course he let her have her way, knowing it would be more problematic to pull Elisabeth away from his mother than to let them be alone for a few hours.</p>
<p>So instead he had gone back into his tent, back to Samir. In there he spent a few minutes sorting out the contents of Samir's saddlebags as his brother was in no way able to take care of it himself. To Ardeth's surprise the bags had been fairly empty, aside from a little bit of food that had been left untouched. But there was one other thing which had caught his eye almost immediately.</p>
<p>A small package tied together with a string, containing two books and some documents. After hearing Elisabeth's story about what happened at the camp, it didn't surprise Ardeth they'd taken only a few things with them. Obviously these objects did not belong to Samir, he was no reader let alone a writer. Which left Elisabeth as the owner of the bundle of papers.</p>
<p>Clearly it was something she used on a daily basis as the dates in the upper right corners indicated. This was a journal. But the information inside was more than just some random thoughts jotted down.</p>
<p>Once more, Ardeth read the passage Elisabeth had written most recently. He couldn't understand everything though. It was mostly written in what he assumed was German. Thankfully some parts were Arabic, others in English and yet another language which he presumed was French. It felt rather messy even though her handwriting was neat and he wondered why she felt the need to write in various languages instead of sticking to one.</p>
<p>There were names he recognized, such as Samir's and even his own. Unfortunately he couldn't understand any of the parts which contained his name. They weren't written in English nor his own language, unlike the passages that included Samir. The other name he noticed more than once was a typical English name. Richard.</p>
<p>At first he wasn't sure who this person was. Part of him assumed it was somebody Elisabeth knew from Cairo or perhaps back in Germany. Luckily, it didn't take too long for him to discover that the name often occurred in combination with another word. <em>Amerikanisch</em>. But it wasn't until he came across a part in English that the pieces of the puzzle finally fell together.</p>
<p>
  <em>"I told Samir about Richard today. He wasn't angry or upset for not telling him sooner...but I could tell he was disappointed with me. I can only hope the information we received from the Frenchmen is true and that we'll be able to locate Richard quickly once we arrive back in Cairo. I still can't believe we were this close to him finding him in Minya... If only I had paid more attention,-" </em>
</p>
<p>Ardeth rubbed his chin and set the journal in his lap. The mystery of why his little brother and Elisabeth had been on their way to Cairo was now solved. As well as the name of the American thief.</p>
<p>Elisabeth had discovered a lot more in Minya than he initially thought and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy with the progress she had apparently made. But what he didn't like was that she had kept things from him and Samir and it wasn't the first time she'd done that.</p>
<p>Strangely enough the thing that bothered him the most, aside from not being able to understand everything she had written, was seeing his name in there. Only because it seemed that every part that mentioned him was solely written in German. Yes, it annoyed him greatly and he wanted to know what she could possibly have to say about him.</p>
<p>He picked up the journal again and leafed through it until he came across his name once more.</p>
<p><em>Ardeth. Er ist selbstgefällig, eingebildet,</em> <em>launisch.<br/>Aber...wenn er in meiner nähe ist...</em></p>
<p>The upper right corner of his mouth twitched. He very much doubted he was ever going to find out what she wrote about him, unless he would ask someone to translate it which he knew was never going to happen as Elisabeth was the only German person he knew. Ardeth flipped the page and continued looking through the journal. There were small drawings on some of the pages, flowers, birds and even fruit.</p>
<p>He paused when he reached another page about Minya, where she'd written more about the American. At the bottom right corner he spotted a drawing of something that resembled a box of a most unusual shape. If it even was a box at all, he couldn't really tell. Underneath it was but one word written. <em>Hamunaptra. </em></p>
<p>Reading it caused Ardeth to arch an eyebrow. He scanned the page for some information but couldn't find anything. He let out a deep sigh of frustration but there was also some form of relief in there. Relief, because Elisabeth had been smart enough to make sure this journal had not been left behind in the desert and at the same time frustration because she had actually written about that cursed place.</p>
<p>Yes, he could not read and understand all of it, but it was clear that this journal had to do with everything for which he had hired her. One thing was for sure, he had to confront her about it. But for now he decided on keeping the journal with him to make sure nobody else could find it. Who knew what other secrets she might have written down? It was reckless and foolish to keep a journal like this in the first place.</p>
<p>Ardeth stood up and walked to a chest standing a couple of feet away from where he slept. He opened it and moved a few items aside, making room to hide Elisabeth's journal far away from the surface. He stepped back and closed it. That would have to do for now.</p>
<p>A dry cough sounded from across the room and Ardeth turned his head to look towards the location of his brother. He walked over to Samir and crouched down next to him. His eyes were closed, beads of sweat still adorned his forehead and dripped down his temples. Ardeth pressed his index and middle finger against the side of Samir's neck, checking his pulse.</p>
<p>It was unsteady and too fast paced. His village elder said an infection would most likely occur seeing as Samir had been exposed to the heat of the desert for too long whilst being wounded. There wasn't much they could do except to treat the wound every few hours and change his wrappings.</p>
<p>Ardeth furrowed his brow and removed his turban from his head. Getting Elisabeth away from his mother would have to wait once again. His brother was more important now.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Later that night</strong>
</p>
<p>Nighttime had fallen and most of the tribe was sitting outside around a large campfire. Music was playing, food was being served and some of the smaller children were dancing around the bright fire lighting the circular area. Everybody was seated on equal ground, including Ardeth. Despite being a chieftain it didn't come across as if he expected to be treated differently.</p>
<p>Elisabeth observed him quietly from the corner of her eye as he sat there chatting with Dalila, his mother. She couldn't understand or hear everything they were saying to each other, but having heard Samir's name more than once, it was clear the conversation was about their family.</p>
<p>Earlier today she learned that most of the Medjai tribe members did in fact know the Arabic language spoken in Cairo, but they hardly used it here. From what she managed to understand was that they spoke a language known as Sudanese. Unfortunately, Elisabeth hardly knew anything about it. She was however thankful for the fact that she could speak Arabic freely, knowing most of the people would be able to understand her.</p>
<p>She conjured up a small smile as Dalila and Ardeth suddenly paused and turned their gazes in her direction. Had she been staring at them without realizing? Elisabeth straightened herself and took a bite from a piece of bread and averted her eyes away from them.</p>
<p>As she chewed her food, her mind wandered to Samir. She hadn't seen him since earlier today. Was he doing okay? Perhaps she should sneak into his tent once again. It didn't feel right to sit here with everyone else, eating good food and listening to lovely music being played. How could she sit here while he was hurt.</p>
<p>How long had she been with the Medjai? Over a day and a half, give or take more than thirty-six hours? Apart from the actual Medjai guards, everyone else had treated her with kindness. Sure, some gave her funny looks and whispered amongst one another in passing, but nobody had been cruel or rude to her.</p>
<p>Something cold yet soft touched her cheek and she looked to her right to see it was Dalila tracing the cut on her skin with the back of her hand.</p>
<p>"<em>Do not worry</em>." She said followed by something else which Elisabeth didn't fully understand. She replied with a short and swift nod at the older woman.</p>
<p>The music suddenly changed and instead of children surrounding the fire, space was created for more people to join in. Elisabeth watched as a couple of young men and women stood up and started to dance along the uplifting beat coming from the drums, lute and tambourines.</p>
<p>She recognised one of the girls as Yara, the woman who had bathed her, cleaned her wounds and massaged her aching body. Elisabeth had no idea how old she was, but she couldn't be much older than herself.</p>
<p>Yara was a great dancer, her movement in prefect sync with the steady beat of the drum. She rounded the fire twice before stopping a few feet in front of Ardeth. There she twirled in her spot a couple of times, never taking her eyes of him. It seemed Ardeth didn't mind it at all as he watched her with a broad smile and attentiveness.</p>
<p>A weird feeling hit Elisabeth as she looked upon the small interaction between those two. Her stomach felt full, yet she hadn't eaten a lot. Abruptly she stood up from her seat and walked away from the fire, with its elaborate music and dancing.</p>
<p>She soon found herself on the edge of camp. Still able to hear the music softly in the background, but the quietness of the desert was thankfully more present. She took a deep breath in through her nose. If you were to ask her what the desert smelled like, she wouldn't be able to give a proper answer. It felt more like an emotion than having an actual smell.</p>
<p>Standing there all alone wasn't doing her any good. Her mind kept wandering back to Samir accompanied by an immense feeling of guilt. What was going to happen once he was feeling better. Would he still be able to travel with her? But what if this was the calm before the storm. What if things were going to go the other way? What if he wasn't going to survive this?</p>
<p>No matter what happened, eventually the time would also come for her to go back to Cairo. Tomorrow would mark the fifth day of her leaving Minya. Yet she had no idea how long it would take to reach Cairo. Where was the location of the Medjai tribe? Was it further away from Cairo than Minya or was it in a completely different direction?</p>
<p>It wasn't important. There was no way she could leave now. She didn't want to either. For as long as Samir was still in a state of danger, she wanted to remain with the Medjai. That was if Ardeth would allow it. She knew very well of the obligation she had towards him.</p>
<p>But he didn't know about Richard, which was something that could work to her advantage. As long as he didn't know about the American and how close she was to finding him, there was no legitimate reason for Ardeth to sent her back to Cairo as soon as possible. But Samir did know about Richard. What if he'd already told his brother about what they'd discovered?</p>
<p>Perhaps it was best if she went back to her tent and sleep on it. But first she wanted to quickly check on her friend. Everyone else was so caught up with their evening ritual of eating and dancing, who was there to make sure Samir was okay?</p>
<p>Elisabeth rubbed her upper arms. The light evening breeze giving her skin goosebumps. She turned around, ready to head for Samir's tent, when her path was suddenly obscured. She collided against something hard and firm. A gasp of shock escaped her. Looking up she stared right into Ardeth's face. When had he managed to sneak up on her?</p>
<p>"Are you alright, miss Borchardt?" He asked calmly.</p>
<p>Why was he here? Shouldn't he be with his people at this moment, enjoying the food as well as all those women dancing for him?</p>
<p>"I,- I was just..." She paused, cleared her throat and straightened herself a bit more. "I was simply taking an after dinner stroll." She explained.</p>
<p>"I see." Ardeth replied. "Anywhere specific you were going? I'd be happy to escort you."</p>
<p>Escort her? Well, that was it then. There was no way she would be able to visit Samir in secret now. Something told her that Ardeth was not planning on letting her out of his sight. She averted her gaze and glanced over her shoulder into the dark yet starry night sky.</p>
<p>"Miss Borchardt?"</p>
<p>She might as well tell him what was on her mind. It was simply too tiring to keep up this facade of pretending to feel okay. She let out a deep sigh, but kept her eyes focused on the desert.</p>
<p>"It felt wrong sitting there...Tasting your delicious foods, listening to the beautiful music,- seeing people dance and having a good time."</p>
<p>Ardeth frowned at her, not really understanding what she was talking about. Her words described the evening as something pleasant, but there was sadness within in her voice.</p>
<p>"Why is it wrong?" He asked.</p>
<p>"Because your brother might be dying." Elisabeth said quietly without looking at him. "It feels wrong to smile while he's in pain."</p>
<p>Her words surprised him. Ardeth wasn't sure what it was he had expected her to say, but it wasn't this. He cleared his throat and carefully placed his hand upon one of her shoulders.</p>
<p>"Elisabeth..."</p>
<p>A shiver went through her body as he said her name, making it even more difficult than it already was for her to raise her eyes at him. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.</p>
<p>"I share your feeling. It may not seem like it from the outside, but believe me when I say it is there." Ardeth told her. Elisabeth finally dared to turn her head back and look at him.</p>
<p>"Do you think he'll be alright, Ardeth?" She then asked, her blue-green eyes searching his.</p>
<p>Ardeth felt rather strange all of a sudden. To hear her speak with such passion and tenderness for his younger brother. He wasn't sure what this feeling was. Jealousy? It would be wrong to feel it, especially in this situation. There was no reason to have any form of envy regarding the way she spoke of Samir.</p>
<p>Still, Ardeth wondered for a split second if she had written in her journal about him with the same type of devotion she seemed to have for his brother. He observed her face quietly.</p>
<p>For now he couldn't provide her with the answer he knew she wanted to hear. As he himself didn't know either. He wanted his brother to be alright, but a stabbing wound was dangerous, especially in that close proximity of ones heart.</p>
<p>"Only Allah will know." Was all Ardeth could say as Elisabeth's shoulders dropped slightly.</p>
<p>"I guess I have to be content with that." She let out a sigh but her breath shuddered.</p>
<p>Silence fell over them. Ardeth's hand still resting on her. It was like last night, when he asked her to tell him everything that had happened. How Samir got hurt. How long they'd been travelling across the desert. How Elisabeth got that cut on her cheek as well as her bruises.</p>
<p>Ardeth remembered getting an intense feeling of anger as she told him everything. And it wasn't until he'd accidentally dug his nails into her sunburnt arm, causing her to wince slightly, that he realized he'd been touching her throughout the entirety of her story.</p>
<p>He cleared his throat. "My brother would feel honoured to know he is on your mind."</p>
<p>Immediately Elisabeth shook her head. "Please don't say that. I feel guilty enough as it is. I got him in this mess. Taking him with me on this forsaken mission is the reason he got hurt."</p>
<p>"He wanted to go with you." Ardeth raised his other hand and grabbed hold of her upper right arm. "To protect you and thus he did."</p>
<p>He wasn't sure what was going through Elisabeth's mind as he spoke to her. Her eyes drifted away for a moment, then she blinked and before he registered what was happening her hands were against his chest, her fingers grasping the front of his cloak.</p>
<p>"If Samir survives this, then that is it for him and this mission. I know he will hate me for asking this, but his presence will be too much of a distraction. He can't come with me anymore. Otherwise my focus will mostly be on him and on making sure no harm befalls him."</p>
<p>It was a good thing they were standing on the edge of his camp, otherwise this entire situation would surely raise a lot of questions with his people. Ardeth removed his hands from the woman's shoulders and lowered them to wrap his fingers around her wrists.</p>
<p>"Promise me, Ardeth." She was practically begging him.</p>
<p>Seeing her like this was something he'd never expected to experience. This wasn't the same person he'd met a few months ago. That rude, obnoxious, nosy and flamboyant woman. He felt a lump forming in his throat.</p>
<p>"I can't promise you that he will listen to me. Samir has a mind of his own..." Ardeth began and already he could see her heart sink as he spoke. "But I will try." He quickly added.</p>
<p>A look of relief crossed her face and he could feel the tension slowly falter beneath his touch. Elisabeth let out a deep breath and licked her lips. "Thank you."</p>
<p>Ardeth was a little unsure of what to do now. There was a lot going on in his mind and it was hard to focus on the things that were more important. There was an urge forming itself inside his body, as well as a question. Actually, he had many questions to ask her. But the one burning on the tip of his tongue was but one. Staring into her eyes, his heart pounded heavily in his chest.</p>
<p>This wasn't the time, it was best they'd head back to the fire now. But what he really wanted to do at the moment was pull her closer and just hold her for a while. To give comfort. It was clear she needed it and perhaps a part of him needed it to. However the image of Samir entered his mind and he quickly cleared his throat and lowered his hands.</p>
<p>Stepping back he turned sideways and motioned towards the tents and the red glow shining within a short distance. "Let us return. I'm sure my mother will be wondering where you are."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Man or mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Medjai Tribe, 1924</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>"You're looking better."</p>
<p>"The village elder says I'm doing so. Though I'm not entirely sure my body agrees with him." Samir groaned as he managed to move upright with some help from Elisabeth. She frowned a little at him.</p>
<p>A few days had passed and she'd been with the Medjai for over a week now. She'd hoped Samir would have completely healed by now, but how much did she know about things like this anyway? The only real concern she had this moment was that her friend couldn't use his arm properly. There was little to no strength in there.</p>
<p>She'd asked him to squeeze her hand, which he'd done, only she hadn't really felt anything. An action she made him repeat every day. It was uncertain if his nerves were damaged or his muscle tissue due to the stab wound. A part of her even wondered if the tribe's doctor knew.</p>
<p>"You should practice lifting things with your arm. Small things at first, of course."</p>
<p>The upper right corner of Samir's mouth twitched. "Remember when I met your father for the first time?"</p>
<p>Elisabeth arched an eyebrow. "That has nothing to do with what we were talking about, Samir."</p>
<p>"Then you do not remember it as well as I do, Zahrah."</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Cairo, 1922</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It wouldn't be until early spring when she'd see Samir again. During his absence from Cairo, she'd often wondered about him and if his mother had gotten over her medicine she'd provided him with was probably used up by now. But she would get her answer soon enough.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth was walking across the market alongside her father, a rare occurrence as the German architect usually didn't bother with everyday business such as strolling through the city, let alone in the area of the food stalls. He was always too busy with his own work, dusting off pieces of stone or pillars. Taking artefacts from his dig site and keeping them at home instead of bringing them to the curator.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Perhaps it might be a good idea for you to come with me next time, Liesl. We can visit your aunt and uncle..." </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Ludwig spoke calmly, but Elisabeth knew there was more to his words than the way he made it sound. There was always a hidden agenda somewhere when it came to her father. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Papa, I already told you I have no interest in going back to Germany. Especially if you're planning on making sure I'll never be able to get back to Cairo." She replied with a hint of frustration in her voice. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I would never do that. You were raised here, but I do agree that Germany might be a better place for you. Safer,-"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Safer?" Elisabeth exclaimed loudly. "There was a war not too long ago. I would not call Germany a safe place."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Alright, perhaps that is a bad argument. You know I prefer Egypt over our homeland. Yet, I can't help but sometimes wonder if this place is right for you. Your education. Meeting someone, start a fa,-"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth halted and it took a few seconds for Ludwig to notice she had. She cocked her head and stared at him with narrowed eyes. It was clear what the end of that sentence was. </em>
  <em>Family. She was only twenty-two years old. Perhaps when her parents were younger, such things were considered normal. But this was the early 20th century. Things were not the same.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Cairo has more than enough people for me to meet. Another country won't change that." She replied slightly irritated. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"As long as it is not that Carnahan boy from down the road. He has a reputation and not just in Cairo." Ludwig responded, his moustache twitched as he spoke. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>If there was anyone Elisabeth was not interested in, it was that drunken boy. Her father need not worry about that. To be honest there were no men in Cairo that interested her and it wasn't just this place. She simply had no time to waste on men or anybody else for that matter. She'd been around enough of them to know how their minds worked. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The chances were much more likely she was going to end up like Menna. Old, alone, but with a nice place and without anybody to bother her. Although it did sound rather sad if you would hear her talk, but she honestly didn't mind the prediction one bit. Things were easier on her own. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"It will never be that Carnahan boy, papa. Do not worry." She threw him a smile but suddenly paused. There, just a stall or two away from them, she saw an all too familiar face. Samir. He was back in Cairo. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"That is good to hear. Come, let us continue home. Your mother is probably waiting for us with dinner." Ludwig offered his daughter his arm, which she took and together they went on down the passageway.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They were getting closer towards the stall where Samir was standing. Though his line of sight wasn't necessarily in their direction, a little voice in the back of her head told her he was probably going to say something the moment they were to pass him. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Perhaps going down this road wasn't a good idea. The last thing she wanted was for Samir to see, or worse, start a conversation with her father. But as those thoughts went through her mind, it was already too late. </em>
  <em>Her odd 'living in a desert' friend turned his head the second they walked by him. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A big smile appeared on the young man's face and then his eyes landed on the older gentleman next to her. But his gleeful expression didn't waver. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Before Elisabeth realized what was happening, Samir jumped in front of them, his arm spread widely. "Good people, salaam!" </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The girl couldn't recall the last time she'd felt this nervous. All colour drained from her face and Samir extended his hands and grabbed hold of Ludwig's. </em>
</p>
<p><em>"Dear, sir! How are you today? You are the man I am looking for. Come, come.</em> <em>I need your opinion on this artefact I have here,-"</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Elisabeth's eyes widened at Samir's bold behaviour. What on Earth was the matter with him? Did he have a death wish? She pulled on her father's arm just as Samir was about to do the same.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Young man, what do you think you are doing?! Let go of my hand,-" </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But then Ludwig paused as his eyes caught sight of something shimmering from Samir's bag. </em>
  <em>Elisabeth recognized that particular look in her father as immediate trouble, and that wasn't the only familiar thing she noticed. As Ludwig retracted his arm from his daughter's hold, Samir took out the shiny object for him to see.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Eagerly, the German architect took it from him and at the very same time Elisabeth's jaw dropped as she saw it. The artefact was golden and rectangular shaped. Set with small gems, green, red and blue. A small scarab adorned its centre. She'd seen this before. In fact, she'd held it in her own hands once.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The first time she and Samir met. The first time somebody had managed to rob her instead of the other way around. </em>
  <em>She raised her eyes and locked them with Samir's.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Mein Gott. This is,- Liesl, look at this."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But Elisabeth couldn't be bothered. She bit the inside of her cheek as she pressed her lips in a tight line. Anger written all over her face. She'd never forgotten that Samir had stolen from her once, but she had forgiven him for it as he needed the money for his mother. Now it seemed he had lied about selling the artefact that he had taken from her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Sir, this is a very special and beautiful item. Not as beautiful as your daughter of course." He added with a wink. </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Present</strong>
</p>
<p>"Lifting small things from my pockets, you mean." Elisabeth commented glaring at the man in front of her. "I still can't believe you kept that thing with you for so long."</p>
<p>"I did and then your father bought it." Samir replied with a grin.</p>
<p>Elisabeth's mouth twitched a little. Dr. Bey was the one who'd instructed her on retrieving that box, he'd even given her money so she could pay for it in case that was necessary. Ultimately the money ended up in her own pocket and the curator never got his artefact, thanks to Samir. Until this very day, Dr. Bey had no idea what had really happened.</p>
<p>"Didn't you tell me you sold it because you needed money for your mother?"</p>
<p>"Did I? I don't recall." Samir replied.</p>
<p>The woman shook her head. "You're terrible."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Zahrah."</p>
<p>They looked at each other for a moment. Suddenly Samir let out a dry cough and then cleared his throat. "<em>Akhi </em>told me you're leaving for Cairo soon."</p>
<p>His words shocked her. Ardeth had talked to him about that? Then again, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. She wondered when Ardeth had told him this? Elisabeth had been slipping into the tent every day. Careful and quietly, because both Samir and Ardeth shared it.</p>
<p>But this was the first time he mentioned her leaving. Knowing Samir, he probably had been waiting for her to tell him instead of the other way around. It's not as if she'd been keeping it from him purposely. She'd been meaning to tell him, especially since she was bound to leave for Cairo tomorrow and she wanted to see him before she left.</p>
<p>As it turned out, the Medjai tribe was closer to Cairo than it was to Minya, which was great news as she wouldn't have to travel through the desert for days on end. Ardeth had informed her that one of the Medjai was going to escort her back to the city. But the thought of leaving weighed heavy on her heart.</p>
<p>She'd quite liked it here, despite having to stick to certain rules she didn't agree with. However, the most difficult thing was her going and Samir staying. There wasn't another way. Samir was still on the mend, though thankfully he managed to pull through the fevers, but his breathing was still short as well as the extreme lack of strength in his arm.</p>
<p>Elisabeth had practically begged Ardeth a few nights ago to make sure Samir was to never help her out on a mission again. And he promised her that he would try, but it now seemed the universe had its own cruel thoughts on making her wish come true.</p>
<p>"I am." She replied quietly.</p>
<p>"You don't like it here?" He asked, his eyes searching hers.</p>
<p>"That's not why I'm going." She assured him.</p>
<p>"Is it the American?" Samir then tried and Elisabeth moved her head to look at him properly.</p>
<p>"That's a part of it. It's been a while now. The chances of finding him are less likely the longer I'm here."</p>
<p>It was difficult to look at him. She knew he would be against her going, unless he could come with her himself. Perhaps that was the actual problem. The disagreement as well as concern made her feel a little uncomfortable.</p>
<p>"And if you can't find him?" Samir asked.</p>
<p>"I,-" Honestly she hadn't thought about that yet. Sure, the possibility had crossed her mind, but she'd managed to locate him time and time again. Even if she didn't find him now, she might eventually.</p>
<p>"Zahrah, you have discovered so much already. You've done more than enough. Let <em>akhi </em>handle things from now."</p>
<p>"Even if I would, I still have to return to Cairo at some point. And we both know that if I'm there, I won't be able to forget about it. I am not a quitter."</p>
<p>The Medjai didn't like her talk like this. Yes, it was true. She was not one to give up. Something he hated as well as admired. When Ardeth told him Elisabeth was planning on returning to Cairo, Samir opposed to it immediately. Nonetheless, Ardeth had told him that he wasn't going to stop her from leaving, but that he wouldn't allow her to go alone either.</p>
<p>"If finding him is that important or getting your money from <em>akhi</em>, then I do not understand why you stayed here for so long." He retorted.</p>
<p>"It's not because of the money, Samir! I couldn't leave, not while you were recovering."</p>
<p>Samir blinked, slightly taken back by her words of kindness. A warm feeling settled within him. The Medjai was at a loss for words. He stared at her for a while. Just when he thought she couldn't surprise him anymore, she managed to do just that.</p>
<p>"Does this mean you want me to come with you?"</p>
<p>"What? No, you can't." Elisabeth shook her head. "First of all, you are not healed yet. You can barely use your arm. I'll feel much better knowing you're here being taken care of while you get back on your feet."</p>
<p>"I much prefer it for you to do that." He admitted softly.</p>
<p>Not this again. She knew that look too well by now. Was she not allowed to show him she cared for him, without giving him the idea that there was more behind it?</p>
<p>"That is exactly why I won't be doing that." Elisabeth answered shortly.</p>
<p>"Ya Allah, you make things more difficult than is necessary." Samir scoffed.</p>
<p>"I've heard that before. I'd better get going before you get more silly ideas in that head of yours." The woman rolled her eyes and gently slapped Samir's knee.</p>
<p>She was about to move, but stopped when she felt his hand encircling her wrist. Looking up she watched Samir shift in his seat closer towards her. There was that serious expression adorning his face again.</p>
<p>"Tetgawazini?"</p>
<p>It was as if time stopped in that very moment. Elisabeth leaned back, her mouth dropped. "What?"</p>
<p>"Zahrah..." Samir took another deep breath. "Will you be my wife?"</p>
<p>"You're serious..." It wasn't a question and he nodded.</p>
<p>"No. Samir, we talked about this. You promised me you wouldn't do this again." She reminded him.</p>
<p>"I promised I wouldn't try to kiss you again, unless you were to ask me." He corrected. "I've thought about this for some time, Zahrah. I want you by my side until the end of days."</p>
<p>Elisabeth knew she could easily walk away if she wanted to. Yet doing so felt wrong. She had to let him down gently, as she had done back in Cairo when he tried to capture her mouth with his. She wasn't marriage material. She doubted she ever would be.</p>
<p>"Samir, I know how you feel. But you also know how I feel. I'm leaving tomorrow, don't make this any harder than it already is."</p>
<p>Then something unexpected happened, something she couldn't have imagined or seen coming. Samir broke his promise right there and then. His touch was soft and warm, careful but demanding. It was unclear where his sudden burst of energy came from, but he placed it all in that one kiss.</p>
<p>He let go of her wrist and placed his hand behind her neck, pulling her closer towards him. And then as quick as it happened, he pulled back. He looked at her, his gaze intense.</p>
<p>"I'm not sorry for breaking my promise." He said. "I can't live my life not knowing what we could be."</p>
<p>Elisabeth listened to his words, but her mind was a blank. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest and she could feel her cheeks tingle. It had been a sweet kiss. Quite lovely in fact.</p>
<p>She licked her lips, which caused Samir to smile. But it was becoming apparent that he wasn't feeling better just yet. A spell of fatigue fell over him and he leaned back to settle against the large pillows.</p>
<p>"Are you angry with me?" He furrowed his brow.</p>
<p>Elisabeth swallowed the lump in her throat. "A little."</p>
<p>"Do you,- Do you love me, Zahrah? Not as a friend or a brother..." Samir asked, his voice getting quieter.</p>
<p>"I..I'm not sure." She answered honestly. His sudden and bold move had rendered her speechless as well as confused.</p>
<p>So instead, she shifted slightly and grabbed Samir's hand. "I'm going to go now."</p>
<p>Samir nodded. "I hope my prayer will be answered one day."</p>
<p>Without saying another word, Elisabeth stood up and headed towards the entrance of the tent. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder, her stomach feeling quite empty at the moment, and stepped outside.</p>
<p>As the woman walked away, a tall man clad in long black robes appeared from the side of the tent. His dark eyes followed her until she vanished out of sight. He inhaled deeply through his nose and looked in the direction of his own tent.</p>
<p>Samir and Elisabeth had not seen nor heard him almost entering a few minutes ago. But as soon as Ardeth saw what was going on between his younger brother and the girl, he'd taken a step back and listened quietly.</p>
<p>One thing was certain. He needed to have a serious talk with Samir. And the other thing was that he needed to appoint somebody to take his position for the time being. A trip to Cairo was not done in one day.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Samir's gift</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>"It is clear that you weren't thinking at all."</p>
<p>"Please do not start again, <em>akhi. </em>We already discussed this last night, why must you bring it up again? You have made it clear enough how you feel about it."</p>
<p>"And still you refuse to take back your words."</p>
<p>"Because I meant them. A crocodile does not return his food once captured. A monkey does not return a banana once taken. I do not take back my words after having said them." Samir slapped his good hand on top of the blanket he was currently sitting upon.</p>
<p>Last night, after the moon had reached the centre of the sky and the fires had gone out, Ardeth returned to their tent. But the evening was far from over. He accused Samir of being dishonourable and inconsiderate. At first Samir had no idea what his brother was talking about, until it became clear that he had overheard a great deal of his conversation with Elisabeth. Including the part where he'd proposed to her.</p>
<p>"Do you not even care that you put her in a most difficult position?" Ardeth frowned.</p>
<p>"I admit that I crossed a line, <em>akhi</em>,- please, do not give me that look. But I had to know. After everything that happened, what could have happened." Samir shook his head. "I have known her for many years now and how I feel grows stronger the more I am with her."</p>
<p>"That did not give you the right to ask something of her that she doesn't want."</p>
<p>Ardeth's comment caused Samir's expression to turn grim. "You do not know a single thing about her. If the day comes when she refuses me with all her heart, then I shall accept it. But until then I will not give up nor regret what I asked."</p>
<p>The Medjai chieftain scoffed loudly. "You are a fool. I can not believe you are my brother."</p>
<p>"Please, we both know it is not about what I did. All of this, your accusations, your words of angry, it all has to do with how you feel."</p>
<p>"What I feel is because of what you did."</p>
<p>But Samir shook his head calmly. "No. What I mean is your feelings. Not towards me, but towards my friend."</p>
<p>Ardeth blinked and stared at his brother. His mouth shut tightly, chest heaving up and down, inhaling deeply through his nose and a lump forming in his throat. Surely his brother was not implying what he thought he was?</p>
<p>"Let me remind you, that you are the one who recommended her to me. She delivered, just like you said she would. She found the American and even now she is willing to see it through to the end despite having lost him. A very admirable trait. But once we locate him, she will get her payment and live her life as she had before meeting us."</p>
<p>"Do not pretend you don't know what I am talking about. You say one thing, but I see another." Samir replied. "From the minute you met Zahrah you were intrigued. Annoyed, yes. But ultimately you kept doing things which were unlike you. Watching her house, claiming to distrust her. Sending me ahead to Minya on my own instead of accompanying her!" Suddenly Samir flinched and he reached for his chest.</p>
<p>Immediately Ardeth's eyes widened and he dropped down next to Samir.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry." He quickly said as he placed his hands on his brother to gently help him lean back on the pillows behind him.</p>
<p>Samir closed his eyes and breathed through his noise, trying to steady himself. Once his breathing was more even he reopened them and looked up at his <em>akhi.</em></p>
<p>"I know you are sorry. But I wish you would stop lying to me about this. More importantly to yourself."</p>
<p>"I do not understand why you keep bringing this up. You do this every time I disagree with your behaviour."</p>
<p>"Pah." Samir huffed. "If you truly felt nothing, you would have been happy for me, despite my approach."</p>
<p>Ardeth opened his mouth, ready to protest but then he stopped. This was foolish. He had already said what he wanted to say more than once. Nothing would change what had happened. Besides, Samir was still struggling and the only important thing now was him thinking of his health.</p>
<p>It was then a soft shuffling noise caught both of their attentions. Ardeth leaned a little to the left to see where the sound was coming from. But it soon became clear what the cause of the noise was. The fabric of the tent moved up revealing a slightly tanned hand with thin and long nimble fingers. An arm followed suit and then a mop of shiny golden light brown hair appeared.</p>
<p>Elisabeth looked up and her eyes widened as she caught Ardeth and Samir staring at right at her.</p>
<p>"Oh." Was all she said.</p>
<p>Normally she wouldn't respond this way. Normally Samir would be alone and Elisabeth had been pretty sure that he would have been. Ardeth told her this morning he would be busy arranging for the horses to be ready for her to leave. Automatically she assumed that meant Samir would be alone.</p>
<p>At first she didn't want to come and say goodbye, not after what happened yesterday. But the closer the moment came to actually leaving, the more restless she got. That feeling soon was accompanied by a sense of guilt and that she would forever despise herself if she wasn't going to say goodbye properly.</p>
<p>"Zahrah." Samir smiled, all his fatigue suddenly leaving his body. "Do come in."</p>
<p>Elisabeth's eyes shot towards Ardeth, who looked anything but pleased. He cleared his throat and stood up from his spot, walked around his brother and halted in front of the woman on the floor. He offered her his hand, which she took.</p>
<p>"Does this mean you are ready to leave, Miss Borchardt?" He asked distantly.</p>
<p>"Almost, Chieftain Bay." She replied. "I want to say goodbye to your brother first."</p>
<p>Ardeth nodded. "The horses are ready, as is your travel companion. Do not take too long."</p>
<p>He threw one last look at his brother before walking out of the tent, leaving the two of them alone. As soon as he was gone, Samir turned his head towards Elisabeth and patted the floor next to him.</p>
<p>"I didn't think you would come today." He said the moment she sat down.</p>
<p>"Neither did I." Elisabeth admitted. "But it felt wrong not to. This doesn't mean I've forgiven you for yesterday."</p>
<p>"Of course not. I know you better than that." The medjai grinned, but his smile soon faltered as he reached for the woman's hand.</p>
<p>"I told Ardeth to give you Sawsan."</p>
<p>Elisabeth frowned immediately with surprise as he said that. Sawsan was his horse. A beautiful creature. Elisabeth never really cared for horses, in fact they frightened her and Samir knew this. But his horse was different, enough for her to tolerate it. She had, after all, saved their lives.</p>
<p>"Not to sound ungrateful, Samir. But why? I couldn't take her."</p>
<p>"You can and you will. I'd feel much better knowing you've got her with you. She will protect you during the journey to Cairo."</p>
<p>Elisabeth let out a sigh. "I'd tell you no. But I know that will not work."</p>
<p>"That's not true. It works on many occasions, just not today."</p>
<p>That wasn't true either. Elisabeth knew it and a part of Samir did too. When it came to certain things, her friend didn't take no for an answer. That night in Cairo was a good example, as was Minya and what happened yesterday. If she were to mention those events, an argument would surely follow and that was something that she didn't want.</p>
<p>She squeezed his hand comfortingly. "I'll take good care of her."</p>
<p>Samir nodded. "I want you to keep her in Cairo. Not as a gift, but for safekeeping. Until I can travel again. I'll come pick her up and then..."</p>
<p>His breathing shuddered as he exhaled and he quickly shook his head. "My apologies. I shouldn't say another word about this anymore."</p>
<p>Of course there was much more he wanted to say, but he knew better than that. Although Samir didn't want to give his brother the satisfaction, he might have been a little bit right about his behaviour yesterday, which was exactly the reason why he now swallowed his words.</p>
<p>A part of him thought that he might have scared Elisabeth away, yet here she was. He knew he had to be careful and not say what was actually on his mind. For he couldn't risk the chance of her never wanting to come back to him and that was likely to happen if he kept pushing for that which he wanted.</p>
<p>"Do you know whose coming with me?" She asked him, quickly changing the subject.</p>
<p>Alas Samir shook his head. He knew Ardeth would never let her go alone, she did not know the way to Cairo, but he hadn't told him who'd be joining her either. Though knowing his brother it was most likely someone who he trusted more than anybody else aside from himself.</p>
<p>"Another good reason why you're taking Sawsan with you. At least you'll have someone familiar on this journey." Samir replied reminding her of his gift.</p>
<p>"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time." Elisabeth smiled. "But thank you."</p>
<p>"Be careful out there, Zahrah. Especially in Cairo. I wish you'd wait until I'm well so we can look for the American together."</p>
<p>"You should trust me, Samir. You always did when it came to these things. Don't forget that you're still recovering. At least now I won't have to worry about you while I'm finishing my mission for you brother."</p>
<p>Samir could tell that she wanted to leave for real. It was bound to be an endless discussion anyway if he were to reply. He did trust her or he used to. He was pretty certain this wasn't about trusting her. No, it was about wanting to be there with her. Watch her, protect her.</p>
<p>He inhaled deeply and let out an exhausted sigh. "I guess there is nothing I can do to change your mind and stay here instead?"</p>
<p>"I'm going to kill you myself if you keep on trying." She assured him and that actually caused Samir to smile.</p>
<p>"Goodbye then, Zahrah."</p>
<p>"Goodbye, Samir."</p>
<p>She looked at him for a second and then leaned forward to swiftly plant a kiss near his lips. When she moved back, he could only stare at her feeling slightly confused, but from the look of it that was exactly how Elisabeth felt too.</p>
<p>"I'll take good care of Sawsan." She promised him, her voice sounded heavy.</p>
<p>Samir nodded and rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. "Please do."</p>
<p>With that said, Elisabeth got up and walked out of the tent. Never looking back at him.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Journey to Cairo</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everything was quiet as could be. The only sounds one could hear was that of the soft breeze blowing or the occasional snorts coming from the horses. If the entire journey was going to be like this, surely Elisabeth was going to lose her mind. She eyed the medjai riding in front of her closely. His broad shoulders and his tall physique swayed with ease from left to right in perfect sync with the dark horse underneath him.</p>
<p>Elisabeth clenched her jaw as she tried to keep herself steady on top of Sawsan. So far she'd managed to stay in her seat. She had to give credit to Samir for giving her his horse, the creature was probably used to her clumsiness. Thankfully, it had no desire so far to throw her off.</p>
<p>Again her eyes drifted and settled on the silent man only a few feet ahead of her. His dark shoulder-length hair, partially hidden underneath a dark turban, shined in the bright light of the hot desert sun,</p>
<p>Elisabeth was thankful for the wardrobe Samir and Ardeth's mother had given her to wear for the trip to Cairo. It was a long beige coloured linen dress, fitted with linen pants beneath for easy travel. And a shawl had been wrapped around her head to cover her golden brown hair from the sunrays. She didn't have to worry about getting sunburned this time.</p>
<p>The only thing she really had to conquer during this two day trip was the silence and slight tension that surrounded her and her medjai travel companion. He hadn't said one word since they'd left the tribe. Actually that wasn't true. He did tell her to, "Stick to his pace and follow his lead."</p>
<p>She had hoped, after a couple of hours had passed, that he was going to open up a bit more. Elisabeth wasn't necessarily looking for someone to talk with throughout the duration of the journey, but a few exchanges of words wasn't too much to ask for, was it?</p>
<p>Finally, as if by a miracle, the man in front of her slowed down and manoeuvred his horse towards her. She watched him quietly as he lowered the shawl from his mouth and reached for the water skin hanging on his saddle.</p>
<p>"We'll stop and make camp in another hour. The sun will be at it's highest point then." He paused and took a big gulp of water, some of it spilled down his chin and drops clung to his short beard.</p>
<p>Ardeth Bay let out a satisfying grunt as he lowered the water skin from his lips. He nodded at the similar looking object hanging behind Elisabeth's left leg. "You should drink."</p>
<p>"I will. Once we stop."</p>
<p>"We have stopped."</p>
<p>"I meant once we stop and set up camp." Elisabeth explained.</p>
<p>The Medjai arched an eyebrow. "That will take a while. You haven't had a drop of water since we left my people."</p>
<p>But the woman shook her head nonetheless. "I assure you, I am fine. I don't want to waste any of the water."</p>
<p>Ardeth pressed his lips together and hung the skin back on his horse's saddle. He knew this journey was going to be a difficult one. But there was no one he completely trusted to accompany the woman towards the grand city, aside from Samir or himself. Even if his little brother had been well enough to travel, which he wasn't, Ardeth still wouldn't have let him.</p>
<p>A part of Ardeth was glad his brother had not been in a position to see the woman off. If Samir knew his older brother was the one going with her to Cairo, chances were he would have done everything within his power to stop it from happening. Ultimately it would have been in vain as Ardeth was the Medjai Chieftain and thus had the authority to make the decisive decision.</p>
<p>"We have plenty of water with us. You do not have to worry about wasting anything. This journey will be an easy one, you have my word." Ardeth said to her, but still that look of concern adorned her features.</p>
<p>"You don't know that, Ardeth." Elisabeth replied as she tugged on the reins, motioning for Sawsan to start moving again.</p>
<p>Stubbornly the horse stayed right where it was, a loud snort came from the back of the creature's throat. Elisabeth gritted her teeth and huffed with frustration as she told the creature to walk on. Nothing happened.</p>
<p>She didn't dare to turn her head and see what sort of look the Medjai Chieftain was currently giving her, but she could feel his eyes burning in the side of her head. Elisabeth tapped her heels against the horse once again and thankfully Sawsan started to walk.</p>
<p>Elisabeth sworn she could hear a chuckle coming from behind her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>::::::...::::::</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It seemed Ardeth knew these sands better than Samir did. The sun was currently standing at its highest point in the sky, too warm to keep going or to set up camp in the middle of nowhere. Yet Ardeth insisted they should, only not within the sand. He guided them towards something in the distance.</p>
<p>At first Elisabeth couldn't properly see where he was taking her, but soon the blurry and shimmery image turned sharp and incredibly tall. Eventually she had to tilt her head back in order to have a proper look at the structure around them. A circular rock formation surrounded them and the woman pulled on Sawsan's reins to stop.</p>
<p>"Where are we?" She whispered breathlessly. This was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Was this a burial ground or perhaps the entrance to a hidden tomb.</p>
<p>"This,-" Ardeth replied as he got off his horse. "Is where we will stay for the next few hours, until the sun sets. After that we will continue our journey."</p>
<p>Elisabeth swung her leg over the saddle and quickly, as well as rather ungracefully, slipped off of Sawsan. She held the reins within her hand and began to walk forward, her gaze never faltering from the view around them.</p>
<p>There was a flat and smooth looking rock formation in the centre of the circle. It almost looked like a resting place where a sheepherder might sit to relax and watch his flock.</p>
<p>"You're amazed by this view?" Ardeth asked suddenly appearing next to her.</p>
<p>She honestly was, but for the life of her had no idea why. She licked her lips and turned to look at him. "There is something about this place. The height of these cliffs, the way they seem to form a perfect circle. Almost as if you are inside a volcanic, only it is more open and a lot safer, obviously."</p>
<p>"This is one of our homes." The Medjai explained as Elisabeth was about to avert her eyes again. Quickly she returned her gaze to him.</p>
<p>"One of your homes?"</p>
<p>Ardeth nodded. "We do not always stay in the same place. It all depends on the season. When it is summer, we tend to stick closer to areas with higher rock formation, to protect the little ones and elders from the sun."</p>
<p>It made perfect sense and Elisabeth had wondered about it before. Samir once told her that his family moved from place to place in the desert. Ardeth's story just confirmed all of that. It seemed this beautiful spot wasn't a tomb or a sacred burial ground for her to roam around in. But somehow, it was better. It held a different kind of story.</p>
<p>"I shall set up camp." Ardeth said and he took the reins from Elisabeth and guided their horses to the large flat stone in the centre.</p>
<p>"I'll start a fire for some shai." She told him as she followed him closely. The medjai chieftain didn't reply, but a frown of surprise did cross his face.</p>
<p>About twenty minutes later, Elisabeth had created a pit of fire in the sand, with a small kettle on top of a couple of small stones to balance the object above the flames. Ardeth had watched her as she gathered the materials needed to create all of it. A couple of times he had to resist the urge to help her out, despite being busy with setting up a small open tent for them to rest under.</p>
<p>"Impressive, Miss Borchardt." He complimented her after everything was done.</p>
<p>"Thank you." She smiled warmly at him. "Your brother taught me this method. After making it clear that my way of doing it was wrong and foolish."</p>
<p>"He'll be pleased to know you took his lesson to heart." Ardeth sat down across from her on the other side of the fire.</p>
<p>"Please don't tell him. I'll never hear the end of it." Elisabeth laughed a little.</p>
<p>The two of them went back to being quiet for a while, silently drinking the shai Elisabeth had prepared. Ardeth couldn't help but find the entire situation sort of thrilling and interesting. When was the last time he had been alone with another person that was not family or a member of his tribe? Even the few occasions he had been alone with the woman before him, more people had been present.</p>
<p>Except for that one time at the museum, right after she had threatened to kill his brother. Or what about the day when he went to the Borchardt residence to ask her what she'd discovered so far. The memory of accidentally frightening that poor older lady was one he hadn't forgotten. If he shut his eyes, he could see it perfectly.</p>
<p>How she had shouted for her danaya and Ardeth had followed her until he entered a study room filled with antiques, where he saw Elisabeth standing all the way at the top of a ladder dangerously holding a box in her hands.</p>
<p>After the older woman had calmed down and gave him the evil eye before leaving, a heated conversation between him and Elisabeth had followed. She'd been withholding information from him. Knowledge that she had learned of Hamunaptra and Amun-Ra. He'd almost cut ties with her over it.</p>
<p>"More shai?"</p>
<p>Ardeth opened his eyes and looked at Elisabeth holding her hand out to him, ready to take his small cup and pour him another drink. He lowered his eyes and then looked back up. Something had changed over the course of the last few months and he wasn't sure what it was.</p>
<p>"Please." He replied placing the cup in the palm of her hand. As she poured his shai, Ardeth could hear his brother's voice in the back of his head. <em>If you truly felt nothing, you would have been happy for me.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Ardeth's struggle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By now Samir had probably figured out he hadn't sent any member of the tribe to accompany Elisabeth to Cairo. Ardeth couldn't really imagine what was going through his brother's mind, but he reckoned it was something along the lines of betrayal and anger. It would become a point of discussion once he returned to the Medjai. For now it would have to simply wait and linger in the back his head.</p>
<p>Ardeth's eyes moved away from the fire until they came at a stop on a lithe silhouette across from him. Though he couldn't see her face as her back was faced towards him, Elisabeth Borchardt was currently sleeping quietly. Every time her body stirred but a little, Ardeth looked up to see if she'd woken. So far she hadn't, which put him at ease.</p>
<p>Soon he'd have to wake her in order for them to continue their journey to Cairo. It would be a while before they'd stop again, therefore he let her have all the rest she could get. Though getting her to actually sleep had been a bit of a struggle. Their current location had caught her interest and she must have walked around the circular rock formation more than five times.</p>
<p>Ardeth had sat back and watched her as she touched the walls with her hands, as if she'd been trying to find something special. But these were just stones. A place where his people stayed for months during the second season as it was a good place to have shelter from the warm midsummer sun. After Elisabeth had realized she wasn't going to find anything as interesting as a burial site, she joined him again for another round of shai.</p>
<p>The Medjai chieftain was unsure how much more of the dark golden liquid his stomach could handle. But it was a welcome distraction to have whenever a quiet spell fell between them. And there had been some as he found it difficult to talk to her. Not because he didn't want to, but because there were a lot of questions on his mind. Things he couldn't ask without giving away a secret or two which he had kept from her.</p>
<p>One of them being that he had her traveling journal. The one containing a lot of written information on the American and the object which he'd stolen. There were also other topics, such as his younger brother Samir but also mentioning of his own name. The most important subject at the moment was of course the thief. But how was he going to discuss it with Elisabeth without revealing the fact that he had her journal?</p>
<p>Ardeth grabbed his sword and pocked it into the fire, causing a crackling sound to erupt from the flames. He tilted his head back and looked up at the sky. It was about time to leave. Best he got ready and clear the area before Elisabeth would wake up.</p>
<p>After about fifteen minutes, Ardeth finished packing up and saddled their horses. He made his way back to his previous spot and kicked sand over the small fire pit which Elisabeth had creating, extinguishing the tiny flames and embers within a matter of seconds. He walked over to the sleeping woman and crouched down next to her.</p>
<p>He took him a second to realize he'd been watching her longer than what was considered appropriate. Quickly he raised his arm and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. A mewling noise came from her throat and a warm sensation shot through his body unwillingly. He retracted his hand and watched as Elisabeth rubbed her eyes and opened them.</p>
<p>"Oh-" She exclaimed, pushing herself upward. "Are we leaving?"</p>
<p>"Immediately." Ardeth replied standing back up before offering her his hand. "The horses are ready."</p>
<p>"Good. We wouldn't get very far without them." The woman joked as she accepted his extended hand. Ardeth didn't reply to her attempt at humouring him, instead he placed two of his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.</p>
<p>The two horses neighed and trotted over to them. Elisabeth eyed Samir's horse, Sawsan, cautiously. She was slowly getting accustomed to riding, but actually getting on the creature, that was a trick she still hadn't mastered. She doubted she ever would.</p>
<p>By the time she got next to Sawsan, Ardeth had somehow already managed to climb into his saddle. She could practically feel his eyes burning into the back of her head as he watched and waited for her to get onto her horse. She puffed her cheeks as she let out a deep breath. If Samir had been here he would have probably acted the same way as his brother. Although he would have also made a sarcastic comment or joke while staring.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Elisabeth got on Sawsan fairly easily and rather quickly. Still she didn't dare turn her head to look his way. Leaning forward, she patted Sawsan's neck and whispered a thank you for not moving away as she tried to get on.</p>
<p>"Lead the way, chieftain." She commented.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>::::...::::</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Travelling through the night was something she never did with Samir. He always preferred to travel during the day. Ardeth on the other hand chose to do the exact opposite of his younger brother. Elisabeth had no idea what the benefits were from either one of those option, but what she did know was that she favoured the latter.</p>
<p>However, one would expect that navigating through the desert at night with only the moon and stars to guide you, was the more challenging way to go. Yet it seemed Ardeth had no trouble with going down that route at all. Thankfully all Elisabeth had to do was follow his lead. He rode next to her on his horse, Amun. His gaze focused mainly on the horizon, but every now and then she caught him looking her way.</p>
<p>Things had gone quiet between them ever since they left the formidable rock formation and the weather had also turned a lot colder than it had been a few hours ago. It wasn't anything Elisabeth couldn't handle, but she was thankful for the warm robe Dalila had given her with before leaving the tribe.</p>
<p>"You are free to tell me if you wish to stop for a second." Ardeth suddenly said as he noticed Elisabeth pulling the dark cover tighter around her.</p>
<p>The woman shook her head. "I'd rather not. I would prefer it if we could cover as much ground as we can tonight."</p>
<p>"A wise decision. Though we will rest at some point, I assure you." He added. Elisabeth merely nodded and stared ahead once again.</p>
<p>After another hour filled with silence, except for the soft howls and chitter of stirring creatures in the darkness, Ardeth came to an abrupt halt. He manoeuvred Amun in front of Sawsan. The Medjai glanced over his shoulder and sat a bit more upright in his saddle. He'd seen something, Elisabeth was sure of it. But what had it been? An animal a person?</p>
<p>She leaned forward to look around him but didn't immediately see anything out of the ordinary. Except for a rather dim, yet clearly flickering, light blinking in the distance. She narrowed her eyes and could only conclude that it must be a fire of some sort.</p>
<p>"People." Ardeth said softly.</p>
<p>"People?" Elisabeth jolted backwards in her spot and Sawsan automatically responded by stepping aside from the sudden shift in movement taking place on top of her.</p>
<p>"What kind of people?" The woman asked.</p>
<p>"I do not know. They could be lost or resting. They could be treasure seekers. Archaeologists. Tomb raiders."</p>
<p>Elisabeth's mouth twitched and a week old memory entered her mind. <em>British, guns, knives, Samir screaming, blood.</em> Suddenly she was beginning to understand why she preferred traveling through the night and its darkness instead of setting up camp. Despite the lack of vision because the only light one had were the stars, you were still able to have some grasp of your surroundings.</p>
<p>When sitting around a campfire, your view was pretty much obscured because of the flames, which made the surrounding area appear even darker than it was. Wasn't that how those English men managed to get the advantage on Samir? Elisabeth had been sleeping in her tent, unaware of the dangers unfolding only a couple of feet away from her. She wasn't going to let that happen again.</p>
<p>"We should avoid them at all cost."</p>
<p>Ardeth turned his head and looked at her. His brow furrowed. "We might not be able to. I understand you want to be cautious, but as a Medjai I also have an obligation."</p>
<p>"An obligation of what? Getting us into danger or facing our deaths?"</p>
<p>Her hands were beginning to sweat and her mouth felt dry all of a sudden. Was Ardeth planning on heading over there and confront whoever was sitting around the fire? There was no way for Ardeth to know who or how many people there were present. It could be one, two or perhaps more than five. And what if they had weapons? It was too risky.</p>
<p>But Ardeth was a man of duty and honour. If there were strangers in the desert, it was his task to check out what he was dealing with. Unfortunately, he was on his own without his fellow medjai. Elisabeth was a factor he didn't add into the equation, there was no need for her to deal with this. In fact, he'd rather she stayed right there. Out of sight and out of danger.</p>
<p>"Wait here." He told her firmly.</p>
<p>He didn't even wait for Elisabeth to protest. He turned his horse around and darted off into the direction of the shimmering light.</p>
<p>"Ardeth!" She shouted but quickly clasped her hand in front of her mouth. Dumb cow, she cursed herself.</p>
<p>Her heart throbbed heavily in her chest. She couldn't let him head out to those people all on his own. He really was insane and incredibly reckless. Did the man think he was invincible? Not even Samir would do such a foolish thing. Actually that was a lie. He obviously would. He'd done it plenty of times in the past. Perhaps she never could have imagined his older brother to behave in the same manner. He was the Chieftain of the Medjai, for Heaven's sake.</p>
<p>"Come on, Sawsan. Quietly now." She whispered at the horse who responded with a soft snort.</p>
<p>The closer Elisabeth got to them, the more uneasy she was beginning to feel. She stopped a good couple of feet from the small camp and quickly slipped off Sawsan. Samir's horse was a true gift indeed as the horse stayed right in her spot while Elisabeth crouched down and moved into the direction of the nearest tent. She hid behind it and listened to the different voices coming from the other side.</p>
<p>Ardeth was talking to them in English, meaning that the people were most certainly foreigners. But what kind of people were they dealing with? She leaned forward and peeked around the corner. Ardeth was still positioned on top of his horse, which at least gave him some form of advantage should things go wrong.</p>
<p>The people he was addressing hadn't bothered to stand up, except for one. Elisabeth spotted five people in total, too much for the two of them to handle. She focused her attention on the guy standing near Ardeth. She couldn't see him properly, except that he was most definitely male. Middle-aged, or so she gathered based on how he stood there. Proudly. It reminded her a little of her father.</p>
<p>He replied in Arabic to Ardeth, but clearly it wasn't his native tongue as his accent was rather thick. The other funny thing was the hat the man wore. A tarboosh. It was obvious he didn't care much for Ardeth approaching them in the dark. He sounded irritated. Elisabeth moved back and was uncertain what to do next. The older man seemed civilised, but the others didn't. They looked more like bodyguards.</p>
<p>The woman tilted her head back and looked at the tent she was currently situated behind. It was a rather elaborate one, not like the one she'd shared with Samir. Perhaps a little look on the inside would give her an idea on what type of people they were. She lowered herself until she was lying flat on her stomach. Carefully she lifted the fabric in front of her and glanced into the tent.</p>
<p>There was nobody inside. She spotted a desk, a bedroll, a trunk and lots of documents and trinkets. Despite all of the stuff, it looked perfectly spotless. She could still hear Ardeth's voice answering the man, this time in his own language. Without hesitation, Elisabeth crawled forward until she was inside of the tent. Whatever these people were, they were not simple thieves it would seem.</p>
<p>She pulled herself up with help from the desk and looked at the files stacked upon the surface. This man was an Egyptologist. She was certain of it. The way everything was positioned, the ink and quill, not to mention other small object perfectly lined up in one corner, it all reminded her of how Ludwig Borchardt's study was organised.</p>
<p>Elisabeth's unwavering curiosity bubbled to the surface. Why was this man here, but more importantly, what was he looking for? She picked up one of the files and looked at the title on the front. <em>Seti.</em> She grabbed another file. <em>Anck-su-namun. Imhotep.</em></p>
<p>"Imhotep?" She whispered under her breath.</p>
<p>She knew that name. Her pulse increased and she licked her lips. It could all be a coincidence, but Elisabeth did not believe in coincidences. Was this man also looking for Hamunaptra? The city of the dead? The burial place of Imhotep. Quickly she put the files back exactly where she found them. But the desire to take them with her were almost too much to bear.</p>
<p>After all, she had lost all of her documents the night she and Samir were attacked by those Englishmen. And wasn't it Ardeth's duty to make sure nobody discovered the City of the Dead? He was probably never going to figure out what these people were looking for. But Elisabeth knew and she was going to make sure they wouldn't be able to find the city.</p>
<p>She reached for the documents once again. At the same time, a voice boomed from the other side of the tent and Elisabeth jumped back with shock. "Get out now. Otherwise we'll have to use force to make ya."</p>
<p>The words weren't meant for her, they were too far away. But she had to leave now before bad things could happen. With the files clasped underneath her arms, she dropped down to the floor and crawled out from underneath the tent flap. As soon as she was back into the open, a shot was fired and she could hear Amun neigh with fright.</p>
<p>Ardeth shouted a command and a galloping noise followed. Elisabeth caught a quick glance of the Medjai riding away. Had he been hit? She couldn't call out for him, the others would notice her immediately. Quickly she began to run into the direction of Sawsan, who was thankfully still standing in the same spot. Elisabeth threw the documents into the saddlebags, placed her foot in the stirrup and got on Samir's horse.</p>
<p>She went after Ardeth as swiftly as she could, but luckily Sawsan knew exactly where to go. Within twenty seconds she managed to join Ardeth at this side, but the Medjai at the most angry look on his face she had ever seen before. With his jaw clenched, his chest heaving up and down and a look of absolute fury in his eyes.</p>
<p>"Did you follow me to that camp?!"</p>
<p>He was mad alright, there was no doubt about that. Elisabeth knew she had crossed a line by leaving when he had told her to wait. Even if it had been for the greater good, as it turned out.</p>
<p>"Of course I did. I couldn't let you go out there on your own, could I?"</p>
<p>"You are lucky they did not see you!" He spat out. "There is a reason why I told you to wait and you ignored that order."</p>
<p>"You can't expect me to listen to something that absurd. Going in there alone is as if signing a death wish. What if they had shot you the minute you showed your face?"</p>
<p>Ardeth pulled on Amun's reins and the horse stepped closer. The Medjai leaned forward and took hold of Sawsan's reins, giving Elisabeth no opportunity to step away.</p>
<p>"That did not happen."</p>
<p>"It could have and you know it. How can I stay back and wait, not knowing what is going on? It was selfish of you and do not give me an excuse of how it is your duty and obligation as a Medjai." She quickly added as Ardeth opened his mouth to reply.</p>
<p>"Do not tell me you've forgotten how your brother got hurt, Ardeth."</p>
<p>The moment she mentioned Samir, the Chieftain blinked for a second. It was then he noticed the look of fear and concern in the woman's eyes. He watched, watched as she pressed her lips together followed by them quivering slightly. She hadn't disobeyed his order because she was a stubborn woman, but because it had all reminded her of when Samir almost got killed. He let go off the reins.</p>
<p>"You are right. I am sorry." He said. "I understand why you felt the need to do what you did."</p>
<p>A shuddering breath escaped Elisabeth. She felt warm and cold at the same time and shivered. "Thank you. I just couldn't let you go alone. If the same thing that happened to Samir would also happen to you...I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."</p>
<p>He understood her reasoning completely. The thought hadn't crossed his mind at all that she could worry for him, not in the same way that she did for his younger brother. It felt odd. But it was a welcoming sensation that currently went through his body.</p>
<p>"I want you to remember one thing." He said all of a sudden and Elisabeth looked up at him. "I am not my brother."</p>
<p>The woman frowned and Ardeth quickly continued. "Samir is one of us, he is a Medjai, but he is not a fighter. Not in the same sense. He is strong, he is smart. But we differ in many ways. I have been in these situations multiple times. It is why I am Chieftain. I am,-" He paused as if searching for the right words.</p>
<p>"I am thankful that you wanted to help me." He leaned back in his saddle and perhaps it was the light of the moon, but it almost seemed as if he was smiling.</p>
<p>"However, don't ever do that again, Zahrah."</p>
<p>Elisabeth stared after Ardeth as he started to move away. She parted her lips and a short huff escaped her.</p>
<p>He had called her Zahrah.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. How does one really feel?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>The desert</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elisabeth stared at the flames dancing around on the logs before her. Tiny embers fell onto the sand every now and then and the occasional crackle soothed her mind. In the centre of the fire lay a stack of papers, at least that's what they used to be. Slowly they were burning up until eventually they'd be nothing more than ashes blowing away on the gentle desert's breeze. Raising her eyes, the golden haired woman stared at the chieftain of the Medjai, who stood on the other side of the pit with his gaze focused on the flames.</p>
<p>But actually Ardeth was deliberately keeping his focus on the documents that were going up in smoke. There was a lot going through his mind right now and he found himself having trouble with each individual thought. One of them was in regards to what had been written down on those pieces of paper. Knowledge on Hamunaptra, Amun-Ra, Imhotep, Anck-su-namun and more. He knew those foreigners he met last night were more than they appeared to be. The man with the red tarboosh in particular.</p>
<p>As it turns out, his gut feeling had been right. That man knew things the City of the Dead that most people didn't, most of it knowledge that only those of the Medjai possessed. But it wasn't Ardeth who had discovered the documents written by that old man and he probably never would have if it hadn't been for Elisabeth Borchardt.</p>
<p>At first he had been angry with her for disobeying his order. He had given it with the best of intentions. It was safer for him and for her if she were to wait in the darkness while he checked out the camp. Elisabeth's indiscipline of ignoring his command turned out to be a blessing in the end. If she hadn't done so, he would have never gotten the confirmation of his suspicion regarding the foreigners. Nor would he have gotten his hands on the journals written by the apparent Egyptologist with the dumb hat.</p>
<p>Elisabeth had managed to surprise him more than once that night. First by telling him her reasons for defying his order. Something which still confused him. But then secondly by showing him what she had found during her search in one of those tents. It was too dark out for him in order to read what was actually written in those books, but Elisabeth assured him it was mostly and mainly about the city of the dead.</p>
<p>After she had told him, Ardeth didn't hesitate for a second and placed the documents inside his saddlebags, planning on destroying them immediately the minute they were to stop for another rest. A part of him wanted to go back and make sure those men never saw the light of day again. But he was outnumbered and despite assuring Elisabeth he would have been fine either way, he knew when was not the time to press one's luck.</p>
<p>Now after a couple of hours of riding through the desert, Ardeth decided on their next stop. It was in a more open space, near a small water pool, not safe enough. But the sun would rise soon and that would provide them with the safety they needed for the next few hours. Enough time to have a well deserved rest. This time the Medjai chieftain made the fire, under the watchful eye of Elisabeth. He could tell she was tired, not used to travelling during the night. It didn't matter for they would be in Cairo within another day. She would survive it easily enough.</p>
<p>Fifteen minutes of silence had passed by now and the documents containing all of the information on the City of the Dead and Imhotep were long gone. Nothing more but a pile of ash. Finally Ardeth dared to raise his head and look at the woman sitting on the other side of the firepit. He found she was no longer staring at him. Her head was tilted sideways, resting on her knees while her arms were wrapped around her legs. Was she asleep?</p>
<p>He couldn't tell from where he was standing but the quietness gave him some time to think. Thoughts he'd been pushing away earlier as he felt her looking his way more than once. Ardeth found himself having difficulties forgetting and even ignoring things she had said to him earlier. For example, when he got angry with her for following him. He blamed it on her personality, her stubbornness and need for being treated as an equal. But he had been wrong.</p>
<p>She did it because she was afraid. Not for being alone whilst waiting for him, but because she had been worried. Troubled that there was a chance that something could go wrong and that she wouldn't be there to help out. Initially he hadn't quite understood why she felt that way, but then she mentioned his younger brother, Samir. How he had gotten hurt, almost murdered and that she'd almost been too late to safe him.</p>
<p>Her words had had a strange effect on him. It was hard to describe the exact emotion, but he remembered what it felt like. Warm, comforting, exciting accompanied by a weird sensation settling in the pit of his stomach. Whatever it was, it caused Ardeth to be almost nervous to look, let alone speak, to her. But oddly enough that was precisely what he <em>did </em>want to do. Observe her from the corner of his eyes, notice everything she was doing, hear her talk, hear her laugh.</p>
<p>Ardeth ignored the thoughts invading his mind, he didn't want to dwell on those images or strange sensations. He slowly made his way around the fire towards the woman, who still hadn't moved an inch. The Medjai chieftain halted and lowered himself down next to her. Up until now his presence didn't stir her either. Ardeth saw no other option and he placed his hand on her shoulder, he shook her gently.</p>
<p>It had the desired effect at first, as his action caused Elisabeth to wake up. But Ardeth could not have foreseen what was about to happen next. Without warning the woman jerked her head back swiftly, a gasp crossed her lips and she moved her arms in a swooping motion around her. One of her hands smacked Ardeth right across his nose and the Medjai let out a loud grunt as he fell sideways into the sand.</p>
<p>Immediately he reached for his face and felt the area where she'd struck him. Elisabeth turned towards him and her eyes widened. "<em>Mein Gott." </em>She exclaimed as she saw Ardeth on the ground. Quickly she crawled forward and reached for him.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry. Here, let me have a lo,-"</p>
<p>"No. It is fine." He mumbled as he moved away just when she was about to pull his hand from his nose.</p>
<p>"Just let me make sure nothing is broken. You can't look at it yourself. Unless you have a mirror hidden somewhere underneath your robe." Elisabeth commented.</p>
<p>"There is nothing hidden underneath my robe." Ardeth replied.</p>
<p>"Alright." She raised her arms. "I won't look. Goodness, even Samir didn't give me this kind of trouble when I accidentally punched him."</p>
<p>Her comment didn't seem to stir anything in the man and reluctantly Elisabeth backed away, but as she did, Ardeth lowered his hand allowing her a gander at his injury. Her mouth slowly formed a small smile and she motioned for the Medjai to move closer towards the fire so she could have a better look, finally getting the opportunity to see what sort of damage she had done.</p>
<p>As she examined his face up close, Ardeth kept his gaze firmly focused on the firepit. He found her effort to help him rather pointless as he could already tell that his nose wasn't broken. He doubted she could have broken it at all even if she'd hit him harder. The girl was strong of mind, not of body. He lowered his eyes for a quick second and shifted them in her direction.</p>
<p>"You were right." Elisabeth told him. "Your nose is fine. Just a bit bloody."</p>
<p>"I told you this already."</p>
<p>"Yes, I know. Nothing can hurt the almighty chieftain." The woman rolled her eyes with frustration.</p>
<p>The tone in her voice had not gone unnoticed by Ardeth. She was mocking him, something she tended to do but hadn't done so in quite some time. Her reaction confused him as he had seen such a change in her of the last couple of days. The woman he had come to know during her time with his people, his tribe, was a much friendlier, polite and caring person than he could have ever imagined when having first met her. Here he had been thinking that he had finally gotten to see the real face of Elisabeth Borchardt.</p>
<p>A foolish thought. It seemed the closer they were getting to Cairo, the more she was becoming like the woman he had met all those months ago. Rude, impudent and even deceitful at times. How Samir could have fallen for such a woman was beyond him.</p>
<p>"By Allah, I do not understand what my brother sees in you." Ardeth spat angrily.</p>
<p>His words had an instant effect on Elisabeth. She stopped and stared at him with her jaw slightly dropped. Her brow furrowed and a look of hurt flashed in her eyes. It was then Ardeth realized he had just crossed a line he shouldn't have, especially considering he knew all too well what had transpired between her and his brother. Elisabeth straightened herself and raised her head slightly.</p>
<p>"I guess that makes two of us." She retorted. Quickly she stood up and walked away, leaving Ardeth alone at the fire and his bloody nose.</p>
<p>The Medjai chieftain sat there slightly stumped, her reaction was one he had not seen coming. What he had anticipated was something along the lines of a witty comeback or perhaps an exclamation of anger, like she had given him the last time he had asked her how she felt about his brother. But not this time, this time he had managed to struck a painful nerve. Ardeth followed the outline of her silhouette heading off into the dark until she finally came to a halt next to Samir's horse.</p>
<p>Ardeth inhaled deeply and eventually pushed himself up from the ground. Quietly he started walking, wiping some of the blood away from his upper lip in the process. He wasn't ashamed or too prideful to admit whenever he had done something wrong, even though the thought he had just expressed was one that had crossed his mind more than once. Ardeth cleared his throat as soon as he was a but a couple of feet away from her, to prevent her from getting startled in case she hadn't heard him.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry." He said the second he stood still. "I should not have said that to you. Forgive me."</p>
<p>Elisabeth shook her head but kept her back turned towards him. "Don't be sorry. You probably meant what you said, so there's no need to take it back. I just,-" She paused and let out a shuddering breath. "I just wish he didn't make things so difficult."</p>
<p>"By asking for your hand in marriage, you mean?" Ardeth asked and immediately Elisabeth spun around, her eyes wide.</p>
<p>"How do you know that?"</p>
<p>Was he suppose to tell her the truth? That he had overheard her conversation with his brother? Or only mention that he had discussed it with Samir almost right after it had happened? He doubted any answer would be the correct one and thus he chose to avoid it all together.</p>
<p>"What matters is that he asked you. Marriage is not something the Medjai take lightly, nobody should, and Samir knows that."</p>
<p>Elisabeth wasn't sure how to reply. In the end it didn't really matter that Ardeth knew about what Samir had asked of her. But a part of her felt that him knowing complicated matters even more. Ardeth was his <em>akhi</em> as well as the Medjai chieftain. She had no idea if that meant that he had to give his consent or blessing in order for a marriage to happen, she doubted Samir would allow anything like that to get in the way. But she hadn't even had any time to properly think about Samir's proposal.</p>
<p>He was her friend, probably her only real friend. They had been through so much together, but did that automatically mean a relationship was destined to happen? In all fairness, Samir was the only man in her life. The only man she actually trusted wholeheartedly. A man she wouldn't hesitate to die for if it meant saving him, something that had almost happened once or twice in their lives. Was that not also an indication she should not be afraid and simply accept him as a husband?</p>
<p>"I haven't given an answer yet." Elisabeth said quietly lowering her eyes.</p>
<p>She could hear the shuffling of Ardeth's feet as he stepped closer. He was tall, taller than Samir and his presence more intimidating than that of her friend. Usually she wasn't bothered by the Medjai Chieftain and his appearance, but that wasn't the case at this moment and she was unsure where that feeling was coming from.</p>
<p>"Why?" Ardeth's voice was deep but soft.</p>
<p>The last time he asked her such a personal question with regards to Samir and her feelings, she'd responded rather short and harsh. But this time she didn't feel any desire to keep what happened a secret from him. Taking a deep breath, the woman tilted her head back and stared into a pair of dark eyes. He was standing closer than before and Elisabeth swallowed nervously.</p>
<p>"He caught me off guard, Ardeth. I wasn't expecting it. Yes, I know how he feels about me, he has told me so more than once. But I,- I just wasn't expecting <em>this </em>to happen."</p>
<p>"It could not have been that unexpected? And surely, it is also not the first time a man has tried to ask for your hand?" He wondered out loud. It was meant as a comment to lighten the mood a little, a way to start clearing the tense atmosphere lingering between them, but he found himself rather curious about her answer.</p>
<p>Elisabeth shrugged. "I do not know what to tell you, Ardeth. You said it yourself, what could someone possibly see in me? Not to mention when for that matter? I don't sit at home and wait for bachelors to show up on my doorstep. And men that I do meet are strangers I need either for information or because they have something I want and once that is done, I get out."</p>
<p>Hearing her repeat his earlier comment made him flinch a little, but the other sudden and rather embarrassing realization which hit the chieftain due to her words, was that he hardly knew anything about her private life. He was only aware of certain things he had seen with his own eyes or heard about from Samir.</p>
<p>The daughter of a well-known Egyptologist, a man who was known as a liar and a robber of tombs in the eyes of the Medjai. And like her father, Elisabeth didn't care how or who she'd have to deceive in order to obtain information or an artefact from, as long as the reward was worthy enough. The latter was something he'd learned from Dr Terence Bey and one of the main reasons why they'd asked for Elisabeth's help with finding the American. A decision thus purely based on a dishonourable reputation.</p>
<p>But that part of who she was differed from the stories told by Samir, although some of them were in line with what dr. Bey had told them. However, Samir was more praising of her actions. She'd helped him more than once, saved his life even. She even had a hand in saving their mother's life at one point when she'd been sick and his younger brother couldn't gather the medicine they needed. Elisabeth had gone as far as stealing from one of the local doctors in order to help Samir out to cure their mother's illness.</p>
<p>One thing was certain, Elisabeth confused Ardeth greatly. She had more than one face, but they all belonged to the same person.</p>
<p>Ardeth stared at her, listened quietly as she spoke and as he did, he recalled something Samir had told him two days ago. A suspicion he had as to why Elisabeth was reluctant to accept his proposal. He was under the impression that Elisabeth had no idea what love was or what it could be. Based on what Elisabeth was currently telling him, Ardeth was slowly beginning to believe that his brother was probably right about that.</p>
<p>If that was the case, then perhaps there was a chance she did love his younger brother. Ardeth had seen them together. Seen the way she cried for Samir as he was dying, holding his hand tightly with hers. She'd even begged Ardeth at one point to not let Samir follow her back to Cairo even after he was healed up, because she was afraid he was going to get hurt again. There were many reasons, many forms of proof that Elisabeth was probably in love with Samir.</p>
<p>But why was he feeling this doubtful about it? Why was there still a voice in the back of his head telling him to find out what she truly felt for his brother?</p>
<p>"Do you love him?" Ardeth asked interrupting her.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"You heard me." He continued and he knew she had heard him, for the look of shock which had crossed her face was evident enough. "Do you love my brother?"</p>
<p>"Of course I love him. But that's not a good enough reason to become his wife!" Elisabeth replied looking incredibly flustered all of a sudden.</p>
<p>"Agreed. It is not a good enough reason."</p>
<p>"That is what I told your brother."</p>
<p>"You did not." Ardeth corrected her and the woman blinked with surprise. "I heard what you said. You told him you weren't sure if you loved him in a way a man loves a woman."</p>
<p>The medjai recalled the moment he had overheard them as he'd stood there on the outside in front of the entrance of his tent. Samir had been on the floor with Elisabeth sitting right next to him. Ardeth had arrived a few seconds before Samir asked the girl to be his wife, an action he then sealed with a swift kiss, followed by another question which should have been the end of it all.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Do you,- Do you love me, Zahrah? Not as a friend or a brother..." Samir asked, his voice getting quieter.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I...I'm not sure." She answered honestly.</em>
</p>
<p>To Ardeth it confirmed his own speculation at the time that Elisabeth did not love his brother the same way as he loved her. But Samir was a stubborn one and swallowed her words, truly believing it would only be a matter of time before she would figure out that she was in love with him and wanted to spent the rest of eternity by his side.</p>
<p>"<em>Mein Gott.</em>" Elisabeth gasped. "You listened in on us?"</p>
<p>"I was unaware of you being there and therefore the idea of knocking on my own tent did not enter my mind." Ardeth quickly explained, though he hardly felt it was necessary to do so.</p>
<p>"But as I said before, it does not matter how I know. What matters is that Samir is willing to wait, as long as it takes, for you to come to your senses. Something I do not see happening."</p>
<p>His words were like bullets and each one of them hit her straight in the chest. Elisabeth should have known that she would not find support nor any form of comfort by pouring her heart out to Samir's brother. A foolish idea. The desire to share her thoughts and troubles with him had only made how she was feeling even worse and she was no closer in making a decision. Elisabeth took a step back, but there was really nowhere for her to run to.</p>
<p>"What do you mean, <em>you don't see that happening</em>?"</p>
<p>"It means that I believe you are too afraid to deal with the situation and instead will continue to give him false hope."</p>
<p>Elisabeth stared at him for a second with slight aversion, before swiftly turning her back on him. She didn't want to hear it, even though she knew he was right with everything he said. She was indeed afraid and therefore had done what she was good at, ignore, deny and run.</p>
<p>But she knew she would be unable to continue doing that, because Samir wasn't some random person. Not some stranger she'd met only had to figure out what it was that she wanted, but she had no idea how to do that. How were you suppose to search for something you didn't understand? The only thing she did know, was that Elisabeth didn't want to hurt anybody, least of all Samir.</p>
<p>"You mean, you deem me unsuitable for your brother?" She crossed her arms and looked up at the sky.</p>
<p>"Samir is not the one for you. I do not think you love him, not in the same way as he loves you."</p>
<p>His voice sounded closer. The medjai had moved as he spoke and was currently standing directly behind her. So close she could feel the warmth radiate from his body.</p>
<p>"What do you know about love?" Elisabeth spat. "Samir told me once that you can get anything you want and not just because you are chieftain. How dare you tell me when you probably don't even know what it feels like to love? A man who only has to snap his fingers in order to get what he wants?"</p>
<p>Ardeth wasn't surprised his brother had told her this. A jealousy between siblings, a topic of discussion that occurred many times. However, Ardeth never lingered on it for too long. Mainly because it was the truth and it also was something he didn't care about. There were more important matters going on in his life. A family, a quiet life, these were things he never thought about. There was no time to deal with it.</p>
<p>And so perhaps Elisabeth was right and he too did not fully understand how it felt like to be in love with someone. But somehow he was certain that it wasn't suppose to be like this.</p>
<p>"I do not know what else he told you, I am not like that, Zahrah."</p>
<p>He raised his hand and wrapped his fingers around the woman's upper arm, slowly turning her around to face him. She obliged with ease, but didn't dare to lift her head. Ardeth swallowed a lump which had started to form in his throat as he grabbed hold of her chin with his thumb and index finger. Finally, Elisabeth looked up at him, her green-blue eyes searching for his.</p>
<p>"But I guess you are right. I am in no position to judge on love. Perhaps we never know what it truly is until it hits us when we least expect it..." He paused and absentmindedly moved his thumb towards her mouth.</p>
<p>It wasn't so long ago that he had been in this exact same position. Standing alone with her, only a few inches apart. And that heavy but very much identical tingling sensation settling in the pit of his stomach. All sense of logic lost and instead replaced with a different desire. The last time this happened he hadn't acted upon, but now...</p>
<p>If not now, then when would he get his chance?</p>
<p><em>Honour be damned. </em>Ardeth leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. He had waited too long for this. She was soft, her mouth warm and she did not resist his advances. Without holding back he pulled her closer and placed his other hand behind her head, tilting it slightly to deepen the kiss. A low moan escaped Elisabeth and a shiver ran through his body at the sound of it.</p>
<p>He wanted her. Gods knew he wanted her. Even Samir had accused him of it multiple times. But he thought it was just envy talking. He had waited for this, a longing to capture her for himself and he was only now beginning to realize this. They were so close now, he was so close. If he did not put a stop to this, then the night would not end and morning would never come.</p>
<p>With a deep growl coming from his throat, Ardeth suddenly stopped and slowly pulled back, though his hand still resting on the back of her neck. He opened his eyes and stared deeply into hers. He had surprised her, but not as much as he had surprised himself. Ardeth inhaled deeply, a shuddering breath, and took another glance at Elisabeth's slightly swollen lips.</p>
<p>"Ardeth,-" She whispered and once more he leaned in to capture her mouth. He couldn't stop and in all fairness he didn't want to.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>- English isn't my first language, therefore my apologies for any possible errors.<br/>- This story takes place before the Mummy (1999), but will interweave with the movie at some point.<br/>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>